Whether it will work remains to be seen but in the meantime Jakarta’s residents will continue to suffer
in security resulting from increased risk to waterborne diseases as well as loss of life, livelihoods and income.
A well as direct effect on people’s lives these frequent floods impose a heavy financial burden on
the state as a consequence of both, a loss of income as the city is brought to standstill,
and infrastructure needing to repaired or replace. For example, the floods of 2007 are estimated
to have cost Indonesia US$3 billion (BBC 2011). Disaster management is thus not simply about
responding to natural disasters when they occur, but also making communities more resilient to future
incidents, thus minimizing the disruption and financial loss they cause.