At least seven people have been killed in severe flooding in the Indonesian capital and surrounding areas where nearly 190 000 people have been displaced following several days of torrential rain, officials said on Sunday.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso declared ”highest alert” for the city at midnight on Saturday after heavy rains continued in the upper areas around the city of Bogor, just south of Jakarta. The latest precipitation was expected to trigger further severe flooding downstream in the capital.
Weather forecasters warned that the torrential rains would continue in the Indonesian capital and nearby areas for several days.
In many areas, television footage showed floodwaters reaching rooftops, not only on slum areas but also posh housing estates, sending residents fleeing their homes.
At least seven people were reported dead and at least 189 665 others were forced to evacuate their homes by late on Saturday, but officials feared that the death toll and displacements could rise as flooding escalates.
Residents claimed that this year’s flooding is worse than serious inundation in 2002 in the Indonesian capital, where the earlier disaster left at least 21 people dead and forced more than 300 000 people to flee their homes.
The floods have caused major power blackouts, disrupted internet access and downed tens of thousands of fixed telephone lines in some parts of Jakarta, a city of nine million people, as flooding affected underground cables.
Rescue workers joined volunteers as residents continued evacuation efforts from numerous housing complexes in Jakarta and nearby districts including Tanggerang, Depok and Bekasi.
Many residents insisted on staying to take care of their houses and belongings, though the water level kept rising and the current was strong from a nearby river that had topped its banks. Dozens of people including children were seen still stranded on the upper floors of their houses.
Military authorities deployed around 1 300 army troops and 429 navy personnel across the capital to help evacuate people, using boats, trucks and other vehicles.
Local television showed hundreds of residents of a luxury housing complex in the Kelapa Gading area in North Jakarta calling for help after being stranded for two days on the second floors of their houses.
Evacuees have packed schools, churches and mosques across Jakarta.
The capital city is vulnerable to flooding even when there is little rain because many areas of the city are near or below sea level, and the drainage system is poor. – Sapa-DPA