T

he Jakarta administration is preparing for the peak of the rainy season, which is expected to occur from Feb. 22 to 28, drawing up a contingency plan in readiness for any flooding.

Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) spokesman Harry Tirto said this year'€™s rainy season peak was slightly later than last year, which fell at the end of January. '€œThe peak of the rainy season is usually from early January to mid February. However, this year will be slightly later due to the long El Niño,'€ Harry said by phone on Thursday.

He explained that the precipitation would also be slightly less compared with 2015. The precipitation in 2015 was 400 millimeters to 500 mm per month during the peak of the rainy season, while this year it is expected to be about 300 to 400 mm per month, a high precipitation level. The BMKG categorizes low rainfall intensity as between 0-100 mm per month, mid-level is between 101-300 mm and a very high level is above 401 mm.

'€œHowever, we should not let our guard down because the peak of the rainy season has yet to start,'€ Harry said.

According to data from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) 34 subdistricts across the five municipalities are considered prone to flooding and need special attention. Those subdistricts were heavily flooded during the rainy seasons of the past three years.

'€œThe peak of the rainy season is expected to begin on Feb. 22. Therefore, the 34 flood-prone subdistricts must participate in our contingency plan starting Feb. 12,'€ city secretary Saefullah said during a meeting with working units at City Hall on Thursday.

He said that he demanded full participation by relevant officials and staff, who are expected to delay taking leave until March 2016.

Saefullah said all subdistrict heads must begin preparing necessities for the peak of the rainy season. The seven necessities, he went on, were rescue facilities, health needs, logistics, locations for evacuation, facilities and infrastructure for evacuation, education and participation by residents.

Relevant working units, such as the BPBD, Social Agency, Health Agency and Education Agency must directly coordinate with subdistrict heads.

Saefullah explained that all subdistrict heads must report on the preparedness of their seven necessities to their district heads by 12 p.m. each day starting Feb. 12. The district heads must further report preparations in the subdistricts to municipal offices by 1 p.m.

'€œThe reports must be submitted every day from Feb. 12 to Feb. 21. We expect all relevant officials who are directly responsible for any aspect of our plan to be present in their offices during the month of February and they may not participate in activities outside of Jakarta,'€ he said.

Separately, West Jakarta'€™s Duri Kosambi subdistrict head Irwansyah said that he had begun to list all flood-prone areas. '€œThere are at least 12 areas in the Duri Kosambi subdistrict that are prone to flooding. The subdistrict is located near the Angke River, which often overflows. During heavy rains, flooding can reach up to 2 meters at worst,'€ Irwansyah told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the meeting.

He went on to say that the subdistrict had been identifying clogged drains and channels and had dispatched contract workers to clear the waterways.

Irwansyah added that he had also gathered residents in his area to inform them of the city administration'€™s flooding contingencies.

'€œIt'€™s important to inform the residents so that they can begin preparing as well,'€ he said.