Heavy Rain Threatens Jakarta
Thursday, 01 February, 2007 | 15:20 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) has warned Jakarta inhabitants to be cautious of heavy rain with thunderbolts this week.

Last night (31/1) Ahmad Zakir, Head of Public Meteorology Information at BMG, said that if there is heavy rain for long periods of time, there was much potential for flooding.

The BMG has estimated that heavy rains will pour down in Jakarta with between 50 and 100 millimeters of rainfall per day.

“Evaporation is still high, so heavy rains will fall,” said Kukuh Ribudiyanto, a member of the Public Meteorology Information staff, yesterday.

Yesterday several areas in Jakarta started to be flooded due to long periods of rain.

Around 7,850 people were forced to evacuate their homes and many teaching activities had to be stopped.

According to Nuryadi, 47, a local, there had been flooding for three days ago although it was only ankle-deep.

The rain last night increased the water height of the flooding to that of a grown person’s waist.

Around 1,050 Kampung Melayu sub-district inhabitants have even been evacuated to a flood post in Santa Maria Elementary School, Jatinegara, East Jakarta.

The flooding in their houses rose to as much as 120 centimeters.

“Meals are provided for refugees at the post three times a day,” said Agus Hariawan, the coordinator of Santa Maria flood post.

Heavy rain will also be of concern to people living near the East Canal Flood project, around Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.

They are worried that their houses near the canal’s edge will slide due to rain.

“If there is heavy rain, we’re not calm, we’re afraid of landslides,” said Siswanto who lives in Jalan Jenderal Basuki Rachmat, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.

Yesterday, there was also flooding in Bekasi and Tangerang.

Mustafa Moses, Siswanto, Sofian, Rafli and Ayu Cipta