Jakarta: Thousands of residents in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, were forced to evacuate on Tuesday as widespread flooding inundated parts of the city, authorities reported.
Heavy rainfall, which began on Monday, caused water levels to rise as high as three meters in certain areas, blocking roads, submerging more than 1,000 homes, and leaving numerous vehicles underwater.
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung declared the second-highest alert level, urging local authorities to activate water pumps and implement weather modification techniques, such as cloud seeding, to help mitigate further rainfall.
In Bekasi, east of Jakarta, floodwaters entered a hospital, disrupting power and forcing patients to be relocated to safer areas, according to local media reports. Rescue teams navigated the floodwaters in rubber boats to evacuate residents trapped in their homes since the early hours of the morning.
Indonesia’s weather agency has warned that heavy rainfall is expected to persist across Jakarta and surrounding regions until March 11. Agency head Dwikorita Karnawati emphasized the importance of staying vigilant but expressed hope that weather modification efforts could help reduce further rainfall.
The government has begun setting up temporary shelters and distributing essential supplies such as food, clothing, and medicine to displaced residents, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf confirmed. Many evacuees have been accommodated in schools, mosques, and churches.
Flooding is a recurring issue in the Greater Jakarta area, home to over 30 million people. However, reports indicate that the current floods, particularly in Bekasi, are the worst since 2020, when record-breaking rainfall led to deadly floods that claimed 60 lives.
