Flood Disaster

Nowadays, most people tend to not care about their own environment and
surroundings. Even though many of them always trying to encourage programs that can make
our world a better place to live in like go green program, recycling, reforestation, etc., there is
always some people who just dont care about that kind of thing. This kind of habit must be
erased just because these kind of thinking may lead to natural disasters such. One example of
people ignorance on environtment can be seen on how many trash and garbage on river and
waterways. Trash that fill up the river may cause flood disaster.
Floods refer to huge amount of water reaching land in a short span of time, causing
land surface to be submerged under water at places, where, land surface is usually not
covered with water.
Floods could be caused due to natural causes, or, human activities, or, a combination
of both. Floods are caused by discharge of huge volume of water in a short span of time, at a
rate, such that the water can not be carried away from the scene of discharge
Flooding has many impacts. It damages property and endangers the lives of humans
and other species. Strong current of water can cause soil erosion. The spawning grounds for
fish and other wildlife habitats can become polluted or completely destroyed. Some
prolonged high floods can delay traffic in areas which lack elevated roadways. Floods can
interfere with drainage and economical use of lands, such as interfering with farming.
Structural damage can occur too. Financial losses due to floods are typically millions of
dollars each year, with the worst floods in recent U.S. history having cost billions of dollars.
Flood has already been included in the agenda of the annual disaster in Indonesia. Not
only in Jakarta, but in almost all regions of Indonesia are flooded in the month of December
to February. Every year the government always try to solve the problem of flooding. But as
they had done before, flooding still exist. Even it tends to be worse from year to year. So who
is responsible to this flood disaster?The whole society is responsible for the flood. we can not
just blame the government alone. There must be cooperation between the government and the
community to support each other. The following three factors are the main causes of flooding
that has always struck Jakarta. The first is the high rainfall. Appropriate weather forecasts
delivered BMKG agencies, January and February are the peak of the rainy season. This
means that rainfall in these two months are in the highest intensity. The volume of rain water
that spills into the mainland in the end can not be accommodated in rivers, ditches, lakes and
water reservoirs in the greater Jakarta area. Green open land is increasingly narrower also
cause rainfall can not soak into the ground. Logic, if the volume of water that eventually
flowing into rivers cut through the Capital which then overflow and flood the resident and
highway.
The second factor is caused by human ignorance. Build settlements and homes in
riverbanks, littering, and inattentive make green open space is a form of ignorance that finally
bring floods and other disasters. Flood is basically a disaster of our own involuntarily because
of our ignorance of the ecosystem and the environment. Settlement on the riverbanks narrows

the width of the river and makes and sedimentation of the river faster. As a result, the
capacity of the river is very limited and uncompromising water flows and inundates the
settlement.
Garbage is also a major cause of flooding. The tons of garbage clogging drains,
drainage, and water gates make the water flow into the sea faltered. This blockage causes the
water overflowing. The lack of green open space in Jakarta makes water unable to seep into
the ground.
The last factor is the governments lack of attention in the construction policy to the
environments capacity. Economic motivation has always been a driving force of the
construction. Settlements outside Jakarta make a massive by thousands of constructor. As a
result, the open area is narrower. It makes the rain that falls in this area is growing rapidly
flowing into the sea. Unfortunately, before reaching the sea, it firstly passes the Jakarta area.
This is evidence that the development is driven by purely economic motives often lead to
disaster. Because of this mans greed, we must be willing when disasters come, especially
floods in the rainy season, would be a matter unsolved completion.
Some methods of detection and controlling of the flood has been done. Some methods
to control flood can be done by building dams, water-gates, diversion canals, self-closing
flood barriers, river defenses, and also coastal defenses. And after flood happens, clean-up
activities involves workers and volunteers to clean and restore every damage caused by flood.
Both the government and society should work together and support each other in
dealing with flooding. instead of blaming each other. Government should encourage their
citizen to care to their environment and people should start aware of their surroundings
because if they dont care about the environment, then the next generation will get a
difficulties in living. So, everyone must aware of the environment problems