JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - After barely recovering from the recent flooding that hit a number of areas across Greater Jakarta, residents have been warned to prepare for the possibility of further floods and landslides with the downpours that triggered the disasters predicted to continue until at least next week.
In a weekly forecast update, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), predicted that the prolonged rainy season would last until March with the heaviest rains to fall this month.
"We predict that another heavy downpour will occur in the coming days," BMKG meteorology division head Mulyono R. Prabowo said on Wednesday (Feb 7), referring to the heavy rains on Sunday and Monday that brought chaos to Jakarta and its surrounding areas.
The agency has predicted that Jakarta will see downpours on Thursday and Friday, possibly accompanied by strong winds and thunder, particularly in South and East Jakarta, while other municipalities will see light to medium intensity rain.
In Tangerang, Banten, in the west of Greater Jakarta, heavy rain caused the wall of a railway overpass near Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to collapse on Monday, killing one person and injuring another after they were trapped inside a car under the rubble for several hours.
On Sunday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded six deaths in the Puncak area of Bogor, West Java, in the south of Greater Jakarta, after a number of landslides caused by heavy downpours hit at least four areas.
The heavy rain also caused major disruptions to traffic in the area with electricity poles and trees brought down, prompting authorities to create a traffic diversion for motorists seeking to reach the resort area from Jakarta.
The water level at the Katulampa sluice gate in Bogor was also raised to 240 cm by the rainfall on Monday morning, high enough for an emergency status to be declared with an alarm sounded for Jakarta residents, particularly those residing near the banks of the Cilliwung River, as the water gushed rapidly to Manggarai gate, passing Srengseng Sawah, Rawajati, Kalibata, Pengadegan, Pejaten Timur, Kebon Baru, Bukit Duri, Bealekambang, Cililitan, Cawang, Bidara Cina and Kampung Melayu.
The Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jakarta) reported that more than 11,000 residents from 7,288 families in East, South and West Jakarta had been affected by floods, with half of them having to be relocated. Most of them live close to the riverbanks of the Ciliwung River.
While attempts to mitigate the impacts of the rain, such as the use of pumps and the deployment of personnel during emergency situations, have been readied, many believe the city needs to do more to prevent the widespread impacts of floods.
The progress of the Ciliwung normalisation program, which aims to widen the river, has been stalled over a legal issue. Last year, a court ruling declared that the eviction of residents who lived along the riverbank in Bukit Duri, East Jakarta, was unlawful. The residents claimed they had rights over the land and that evicting them would not solve the flooding problem as they had actually helped maintain the cleanliness of the river.
Ciliwung-Cisadane Flood Control Office (BBWSCC) head Jarot Widyoko said that since beginning in 2013, the project had reached 50 percent completion, with only 16 kilometers of the targeted 33 kilometers already revitalised. He said the project's continuation would depend on the Jakarta administration.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who during his election campaign said he was opposed to evictions, said he had met with residents along the Ciliwung riverbank.
"The plan is to continually talk to the residents, and they have principally agreed. Other steps will be taken, such as measuring (their land) and making an appraisal by inviting a third party. Then we can proceed with the work," Anies said.
