Recent rain marks transition to October wet season

Tifa Asrianti and Triwik Kurniasari , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/04/2008 10:17 AM | City

While the capital has seen rain in the past week, this is part of a transition period before the wet season begins in October, the meteorology and geophysics agency (BMG) has said.

"We predict it will begin in October. We're in a transition period right now. Besides, it's just light rain," the BMG's Soetamto recently said.

"We can call it the rainy season if it rains for 10 consecutive days with a rainfall greater than 55 millimeters. For now, the rainfall is less than 50 millimeters.

"We can expect thunder and wind, but basically it's something that occurs every year," he added.

Rain in Jakarta during the past week has created puddles on some city roads, disrupting traffic.

The city police traffic management center (TMC) recorded 10 such puddles Sunday, mostly within North and South Jakarta, ranging in depth from 10 to 40 centimeters.

Some were found at main thoroughfares such as Jl. Rasuna Said, Jl. Sudirman and under the Semanggi bridge (20 cm).

The puddles were not merely the result of rain, Soetamto said.

"Many things can cause puddles to form, like poorly maintained drainage systems," he added.

The public works agency, responsible for maintaining the city's micro-drainage system, was not available for comment Wednesday.

The city administration has plans in place to improve Jakarta's macro-drainage system, such as in rivers and canals and at dams.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the administration was holding a tender to procure dredging equipment from the Netherlands, adding the tender is expected to end in September, with dredging likely to commence next month.

"The equipment is already on its way here. I've asked the administration to expedite the process, so there won't be any delay at the customs office," Fauzi said.

The tender is important as the equipment, part of a Dutch aid package, involves the latest in dredging technology, able to perform at maximum capacity within a minimal amount of space, he added.

In the next four months, the city administration plans to dredge a river in Ancol, North Jakarta, to reduce flooding in Pademangan.

Fauzi said he was not pleased with current flood preparations as he wanted to hold a disaster mitigation rehearsal to train administrators and the public with handling large-scale disasters.

Around 35 percent of the city's flood control programs had been completed, including those related to the tender, with each mayor overseeing their own flood control program, he added.

Central Jakarta, for instance, will focus on sheet piling for the West Flood Canal, conducting floodgate maintenance and dredging canals.

To tackle flooding, the city administration will soon disburse Rp 50 billion (US$5,225,000) to each municipality for drainage system repairs at the neighborhood through primary canal levels, assistant to the city secretary for development Sarwo Handayani said earlier.

Fauzi added the funds would be used for various repair projects, including micro-, macro- and connector canals.

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