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Capital welcomes new decade drenched
Super soaked: Several vehicles pass through an inundated road in Grogol, West Jakarta, on Wednesday, following a heavy overnight downpour that flooded parts of Greater Jakarta
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uper soaked: Several vehicles pass through an inundated road in Grogol, West Jakarta, on Wednesday, following a heavy overnight downpour that flooded parts of Greater Jakarta. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
Millions experienced a wet start to 2020 after severe flooding caused by torrential rainfall that lasted from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning claimed at least nine lives and displaced thousands in Greater Jakarta.
Floods inundated 41 areas across Jakarta and its satellite cities fared no better, with landslides wreaking havoc.
Five people died of hypothermia or electric shock or were swept away in the floods and four others fell to landslides in Jakarta, Depok and Bogor in West Java, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Agus Wibowo said.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan immediately prioritized evacuation efforts in East Jakarta, the region with the highest number of affected areas, including Cawang, Kayu Putih and Cakung.
“Make sure that all government buildings and schools are ready to be used as emergency shelters. Prepare public kitchens, healthcare posts, medicines, sleeping mats, public toilets and other basic needs for evacuees,” Anies said, instructing officials in his administration on Wednesday.
He also emphasized road safety, including by preparing alternative public transportation routes.
Anies said in the afternoon that a total of 19,079 evacuees had taken shelter in makeshift tents and evacuation points prepared by the authorities. The worst-affected area, East Jakarta, saw 9,248 people displaced, followed by South Jakarta with 5,080.
The evacuation process also faced hurdles in inundated areas such as East Jakarta’s Cipinang Melayu, where rescue officers battled strong currents and used inflatable boats that were punctured by sharp objects in the water.
Furthermore, Anies warned that floods from the Katulampa floodgate in Bogor would reach the capital in the evening.
The BNPB reported that floodwater reached an average of 30 centimeters deep on most roads, with the lower parts of Pulogadung and Pulomas in East Jakarta experiencing 5-meter-deep floods.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded rainfall intensity on New Year’s Eve at 377 millimeters per day, according to an observation conducted at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta.
Meanwhile, observations at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, also in East Jakarta, and Jatiasih in Bekasi, West Java recorded rainfall intensity at 335 and 259 mm per day, respectively.
The figures are the highest in the city since 2007, when rainfall intensity reached 340 mm per day.
“The rain falling on New Year’s Eve in the western and northern parts of Java was very extreme and triggered floods in [Greater Jakarta] and Cikampek [in West Java]. This rain is not ordinary rain,” the agency wrote in a statement.
In comparison, 2007 saw the capital’s worst-ever floods, with nearly 60 percent of Jakarta’s 661.5 square kilometers of space inundated 5-m-deep waters. At least 80 people died then in Jakarta and its neighboring cities, and more than 320,000 people took shelter after 10 days of floods.
BNPB chief Doni Monardo said the agency had prepared for this year’s floods to be severe in cooperation with the Jakarta administration.
The floods disrupted operations of some public transportation facilities, including Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta, toll roads, commuter line services and the Transjakarta bus network.
Ten flights from the airport were delayed and some flights were redirected to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.
The Transportation Ministry’s air transportation director general, Polana B. Pramesti, said the airport had been closed since midnight since its runways were inundated with up to 80 cm of water.
Meanwhile, train operations at a number of stations were disrupted or completely shut down, with railways completely submerged in standing water. Some trains continued to operate albeit under speed restrictions.
State-owned electricity firm PLN temporarily shut down 3,311 of 23,700 distribution substations in Greater Jakarta as of 6 p.m. to prevent any electricity-related accidents, the firm said in a statement.
In the afternoon, the Jakarta Health Agency provided health facilities, with 32 regional hospitals and 44 local health facilities opening its doors to all victims.
“The hotlines 112 and 119 are ready to answer to any emergency situations regarding the flood disaster, including with its health services,” agency head Widyastuti said.
Greater Jakarta, however, was not the only region in the country that dealt with flooding during New Year’s Eve celebrations; some regions in West Java and Bengkulu also faced heavy downpours.
The BMKG predicted heavy rainfall along with lightning and strong winds to affect Greater Jakarta until Saturday and urged the public to be aware of any risks.
It also predicted that heavy rainfall would potentially inundate various parts of Indonesia, including Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua.
Responding to the floods, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered the Jakarta administration and the BNPB to move together with a joint search and rescue team in the disaster mitigation process, instructed the city administration to work together with the central government and requested that the affected public facilities be immediately restored.
Many Bekasi residents, especially those with small children, left their homes in the morning, finding refuge in hotels nearby. But with most hotels fully booked due to their special New Year’s packages, many were seen left stranded in lobbies, with some still in their loungewear.
A section of the embankment of the Bekasi River that flows through the Kemang Pratama housing complex in the southern part of the municipality burst open in the early afternoon and water from the river quickly inundated the streets waist-deep.
Evacuees in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta, expressed hope that aid for children would be prioritized.
“We are still waiting for disaster aid. I am worried about my daughter catching a cold or becoming nauseous if left untreated,” said 46-year-old resident Siti Ulfa, who was among the 380 residents in the area who took shelter at a local mosque and a low-cost apartment building. (har/trn)
