Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Cileuncang Flood


Photo caption: Cars braving an inundated street on Jalan Cicendo, Bandung.

Street flooding like this is locally called banjir cileuncang (cileuncang flood). In the Sundanese language (the language of the West Javanese people), cileuncang means a flood caused by blockage of sewer or culvert or one that afflicts a lower part of an area because rain water from the higher parts flows onto it.

Several areas in the city of Bandung are prone to the cileuncang phenomenon because they are of lower elevation than the surrounding areas. Cicendo Street, Kebun Kawung Street, and Stasiun Timur Street near Bandung Railway Station are particularly prone to cileuncang flood not only because they are lower than the surrounding areas but also because the drainage system in these parts of the city is in a bad shape and poorly maintained.

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