Blame game begins as Jakarta assesses damage

FLOOD waters receded in parts of Indonesia’s capital yesterday, but huge areas remained submerged, heightening the risk of disease amid questions over why more had not been done to prevent the disaster.

Businesses were also trying to assess the economic impact of the floods, which have caused blackouts, cut telecommunications and made many key roads impassable.

Top politicians have also been visiting flood victims, as officials traded blame and the media asked why few lessons seemed to have been learned after equally bad floods five years ago.

Tini Suryanti of the Jakarta health department said medical staff were trying to focus on sanitation to prevent disease. “We must be alert over cockroaches and rats. People should clean themselves with soap.”

Supplies of antibiotics were running low in the city, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported.

The number of displaced people fell to 290,000 from 340,000 as the floodwaters subsided, said Eko Prasetyanto, an official at the National Coordinator Agency for disaster management.

The floods have killed at least 36 people, Jakarta police spokesman, Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said. Most had either drowned or been electrocuted.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has visited flood-hit areas, but critics said more needs to be done.