Authorities were working on Friday to repair a dike that collapsed amid massive floods that have swamped the Indonesian capital as the waters gradually receded from the main streets of the teeming city.

Even though, more monsoon rain showers were expected over Jakarta later Friday into Saturday, raising the prospect of fresh flooding, said Fadli, an official at the country's meteorology agency who goes by a single name. Jakarta, which is a low lying city on the sea, has long been prone to floods and in fact their scale has become worse over the last 10 years as infrastructure development has not kept pace with the city's growth. Other Southeast Asian cities, Bangkok and Manila especially, have also proved vulnerable to widespread floods in recent years.

It seems the death toll had risen to 11, most electrocuted or drowned even though the police were searching for at least three other people reported missing in the flooded basement of a building in central Jakarta. While life slowly got back to normal downtown, tens of thousands remained affected by the waters elsewhere in the city of 14 million people. At their peak, almost 250,000 people were affected by the floods, which covered about 30 percent of the city. The the latest flood have turned out to be worse by heavy downpours Wednesday and Thursday that resulted in adding pressure to rivers already swollen by a long monsoon season.

Some of the factors behind the flood to cause are Deforestation in the hills to the south of the city, chaotic planning and the rubbish that clogs the hundreds of waterways that crisscross the city.

It's undoubtedly a pathetic scenario for the people of Indonesia!

(AW:Samrat Biswas)