The city public works agency said Monday it had resumed repairing damaged roads after rain worsened conditions on the capital's streets.

The agency had repaired 227,722 square meters by last Sunday, about 78 percent of all damaged roads, agency head Wisnu Subagya Yusuf said at City Hall.

Of the total road repairs needed, 88,156 square meters are for repairing potholes alone. The roadwork also included damaged busway lanes.

Heavy rain, poor drainage and the city's heavy traffic have corroded street surfaces and created large subsidences which cause flooding.

The agency had previously only patched up potholes, said Wisnu.

"We are yet to overlay and repair damaged roads because we have a limited budget," he said. "Patching potholes is the only measure we can take right now."

DESTRUCTION FOR REPAIR: A section of a toll road from Cawang, East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, is smashed up before workers repair it on Monday. The renovation has left only one lane for motorists to pass.DESTRUCTION FOR REPAIR: A section of a toll road from Cawang, East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, is smashed up before workers repair it on Monday. The renovation has left only one lane for motorists to pass.

According to the City Council chairman of Commission D on development, Sayogo Hendrosubroto, the funds allocated for road repairs in the city budget are unable to cover permanent repairs.

"Permanent road repairs are very costly. The city is incapable of securing enough money," he said.

However, he could not say how much money was needed for the road repairs.

In this year's city budget Rp 60.5 billion was allocated to road repairs, the agency's deputy head Budi Widiantoro said.

Of that amount, the agency will allocate Rp 30 billion for the first phase of road repairs, Rp 5 billion for roadwork scheduled at the end of this year, Rp 2.5 billion for West Jakarta's business district in Kembangan and Rp 2.5 billion for East Jakarta's business district in Pulogadung, he said.

The agency will allocate Rp 10 billion for busway projects and another Rp 10.5 billion to fortify some roads.

Potholes created during the wet season caused numerous accidents in February and March, in which dozens of motorists were killed or injured. Potholes also hamper traffic and results in high transportation costs for businesses.

The Indonesian Exporters Association said delivery costs had increased by around 10 to 15 percent due to unpredictable arrival times of exported goods at Tanjung Priok port.

The city's inner and outer ring roads in North and East Jakarta are also severely damaged and have caused massive traffic congestion leading to the Tanjung Priok port.