If nature were left to itself, the site of Jakarta would basically be a river delta in swampland. And of course nature keeps trying to make a comeback, so yes pools of standing water are very hard to eradicate here. It doesn't help that the city has a lot of half-finished buildings whose owners went bankrupt or at least lost their appetite for building in 1998.

Also the traditional Indonesian bathroom consists of a tank of water you scoop over yourself to bathe. It'a great way to have a bath but does have its disadvantages in the current situation.

Bingley

Bingley