Jakarta-Merak Toll Road Inundated at Height of up to One Meter

Serang, Banten - Flood has inundated the Jakarta-Merak toll road at a height of up to one meter following the overflowing of Ciujung River. From Km 57 to Km 59, the toll road is flooded at between 80 cm and one meter deep, Rahmatullah, a spokesman of PT Marga Mandala Sakti (MMS) said here on Thursday. Vehicles from Merak toward Jakarta must exit at Ciujung gate and from Jakarta to Merak at Balaraja gate to avoid the flood, he said. Residential areas located along Ciujung River are also flooded, forcing local inhabitants to evacuate themselves to higher ground at the toll road area. A number of emergency camps have been set up along Km 57 and Km 58 to accommodate the flood victims. Meanwhile, it is reported that floods hit nine sub-districts in Lebak district, Banten province, on Wednesday as a number of rivers overflowed following heavy rains overnight. "Up till now we are evacuating residents from flood-hit areas where the water level reaches 70 cm to 2 m deep," the day-to-day chief of the Lebak district natural disaster mitigation board, Muklis said on Wednesday. By Wednesday afternoon, at least 1,850 houses were flooded and one person was killed, he said. Muklis said he was waiting for reports from volunteers and officers in the field about the impact of the floods. The number of flooded houses might run into tens of thousands as the floods had yet to subside, he said. (*)