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‘Paralyzed’ Bekasi scrutinized for poor urban planning, disaster mitigation
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A drone view shows a flooded residential area following heavy rains in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Reuters/Yuddy Cahya Budiman)
R
ecent large-scale flooding in Greater Jakarta, which has had a particularly dire effect in Bekasi, West Java, has drawn attention to the area’s poor urban planning and insufficient disaster mitigation.
Earlier this week, Jakarta and its neighboring cities were subject to persistent torrential rains that led to one of the worst floods in recent years, causing a number of fatalities and forcing thousands to flee for their safety.
A 2-year-old boy in Tebet, South Jakarta, died after being swept away by deep, muddy waters after the lifeboat he was in capsized. In Bogor, meanwhile, a 59-year-old man was found dead on Monday after attempting to save his wife from a strong current. Reports of fatalities were still coming on Wednesday.
Of Jakarta’s satellite cities, Bekasi experienced the worst of the flooding, with eight of its 12 districts still inundated as of Wednesday evening. Bekasi Mayor Tri Adhianto declared the city “paralyzed” on Tuesday.
In one of the biggest single incidents, scores of people were trapped on the higher floors of Mega Bekasi Hypermall, among the city’s biggest shopping centers, for hours after part of a nearby river’s embankment reportedly collapsed on Tuesday morning.
Read also: Bekasi mayor takes flak for staying at hotel during flood
Development woes
