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Water inundates parts of Jakarta as rainy season reaches its peak
Playtime: Children play in floodwaters near a stranded a car in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, on Sunday
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span class="inline inline-center">Playtime: Children play in floodwaters near a stranded a car in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, on Sunday. Due to heavy rains, many areas in the capital were flooded on Sunday - JP/DON
Two days of heavy downpours have inundated flood-prone subdistricts in Greater Jakarta and caused traffic jams in a number of areas.
The Jakarta Police's Traffic Management Center (TMC) reported rain and overflowing drains had caused gridlock on Jl. Kamal Raya in West Jakarta, Jl. Tendean in South Jakarta and Jl. Perjuangan near the Summarecon shopping mall in Bekasi, West Java.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday, the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported that the water level at the Katulampa sluice gate on the Ciliwung River in Bogor, West Java, had increased to 80 centimeters, or 10 cm above the normal level and high enough for the BPBD to declare alert 3 status, its third-highest level.
According to the BPBD, the water level at the Pasar Ikan sluice gate in North Jakarta had reached 215 cm, much higher than the normal high-tide level of 180 cm, from 9 until 10 a.m. The water level, however, had decreased to 153 cm as of 6 p.m.
The city administration's crisis center also reported that a neighborhood unit in Kapuk, Jl. KH. Hasyim Ashari and a road beside the Arjuna toll road in West Jakarta were submerged by 20 to 40 cm of water.
On Saturday night, hours of rain caused floods as deep as 50 cm on dozens of streets in Jakarta.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has said the capital has entered the peak of the rainy season, which was predicted to hit between late January and mid February. 'Jakarta residents should pay attention to how long it rains. If it rains continuously for more than three hours, that indicates potential flooding,' BMKG spokesperson Harry Tirto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He added that a number of subdistricts in the capital, such as Kampung Pulo in East Jakarta and Duri Kosambi in West Jakarta, had low water-absorption rates, making them prone to major inundation during the rainy season.
A dense neighborhood in Petogogan, Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta, was one of the areas seriously affected by the heavy rain from Saturday night to Sunday. Some houses in the neighborhood were flooded with 60 cm of water on Sunday evening.
Around 1,000 houses in the subdistrict were flooded after hours of heavy downpours, forcing residents to move their belongings to the upper floors of their homes or higher areas in the neighborhood.
Aki Jeta, 56, said he had his house elevated several years ago to help his family cope with annual flooding.
'Thankfully rainwater has yet to enter my house today. However, heavy rain will likely inundate it and other houses that have also been elevated,' Aki said.
'I pray every day that flooding doesn't worsen, but my children seems to enjoy it,' he continued while watching his 12-year-old son and his friends splash each other with murky water.
Another resident, Leli, said her biggest concern during the rainy season was the water-borne diseases and wild animals brought by the floodwater from the nearby river.
'Yesterday my neighbor found a snake in his house shortly after the flooding began to recede,' Leli said.
She said the snake likely came from the Krukut River, which is located behind the residential area.
Leli said she hoped the Jakarta administration would fulfill its promise to dredge the river because she believed the river, clogged with dirt and trash, was the main cause of the floods.
'It will take all day for me to clean my house. It's exhausting to do this every day,' she said.
