Jakarta floods: ‘Not ordinary rain’, say officials
At least 16 people have died in the Indonesian capital amid record-breaking rainfall. …
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At least 16 people have died in flooding in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, after the city had its most intense rainfall for at least 24 years.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) measured 377 millimetres of rainfall in a day at an airport in East Jakarta.
That’s the most most rain in a single day since at least 1996, when records supplied by the agency began.
“The rain falling on New Year’s Eve… is not ordinary rain,” said the agency.
Maximum rainfall intensity during major Jakarta floods
Elsewhere in East Jakarta, 335mm was recorded, while in Bekasi, further east, 259mm fell.
Rainfall above 150mm per day is considered extreme by the agency.
The downpours led to landslides on the city’s outskirts, while closer to the centre, homes were submerged.
The victims ranged in age from 8 to 82. Some died of hypothermia, while others drowned or were killed by landslides.
One 16-year-old boy was electrocuted by a power line.
The death toll is the worst since 2013, when 47 deaths were reported. In 2007, more than 50 were reported killed.
Floods are common in the city around this time of year. They are one of the reasons President Joko Widodo plans to move the capital to East Borneo in the next few years.
Jakarta is one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world and experts say it could be entirely submerged by 2050.
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