The Jakarta Water Resource Agency has revealed ahead of the upcoming rainy season that there are 180 flood-prone areas in the capital.

The agency’s head, Teguh Hendarwan, said the number was obtained in its analysis conducted throughout the first half of this year.

“There are 180 flood-prone areas. However, the [floods] won't last long. They can recede in about two or three hours,” Teguh said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Of the flood-prone areas, Teguh explained that 80 areas regularly experienced inundation, such as Slipi, West Jakarta, due to the construction of public facilities.

Meanwhile, other areas that are expected to be hit by floods are those where rivers have yet to be normalized, such as Kembangan, West Jakarta.

Teguh said South Jakarta and East Jakarta, which have high rainfall, were vulnerable to flooding and erosion, similar to last year.

To mitigate the effects of potential floods, the agency deployed 192 excavators to dredge rivers across Jakarta.

Teguh said his side would prepare for mitigation programs and develop emergency posts.   

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) previously stated that the rainy season was expected to start in October or November before reaching its peak in January or February 2019. (sau)