Jakarta reeling from worst floods in decade

The most intense rainfall ever to hit Jakarta has caused the worst floods there since 2007, leaving Indonesia's capital reeling while highlighting the importance of tackling climate change.

"The city's transportation was hit hard during the early days of flooding, namely the TransJakarta bus system, the local trains and the airport train. However, the subway and city center weren't affected too badly," Darang Candra, a Jakarta resident, said.

Candra escaped the floods because his home is at a higher elevation, but some of his relatives were not so lucky. "The flood mostly affects neighborhoods located in the flood plains. The rivers are so polluted with garbage, the ground is sinking, and big malls and apartments continue to pump fresh water out of the ground," he said. "Combine that with climate change and heavy rainfall, and voila."

The floods forced 724 power stations and substations to shut down across Jakarta. More than 60,000 people fled the most affected areas. The floods also triggered deadly landslides on the city's outskirts.

Jakarta, with more than 10 million residents, is more at risk of floods than most cities in Indonesia. A coastal city on the northeast of the island of Java, 13 rivers flow into it. The northern part of the city, which is most susceptible to flooding, is also sinking a few centimeters every year, according to the World Bank. And the intense flooding of the past few days speeds up this process.

Flash floods began to hit Jakarta on Jan 1. On Monday, the death toll had reached 67 and one person was reported missing, according to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency.

"The rainfall of 377 millimeters recorded in East Jakarta on Jan 1 was the highest recorded rainfall in the history of meteorological data in Jakarta. In Indonesia, anything above 150 mm per day is considered extreme rainfall," said Leonard Simanjuntak, country director for Greenpeace Indonesia.

"The extreme rainfall that took place in a very short period in Jakarta on New Year's Day was a very strong indication that we are already experiencing the impact of the climate crisis.

"Indonesian President (Joko Widodo) also made a statement that this flood is caused by an ecological crisis," Simanjuntak said.

Meanwhile, the waters have started to recede in some areas but the city remains on alert. The national meteorological service, the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency, warned on Jan 5 that heavy downpours were likely to continue until next week.

Harald Heubaum, an expert at the University of London and co-founder of sustainable finance data initiative SUFINDA, said the heavy rainfall adds to "signs of what's in store for us if the world doesn't get serious about transitioning to a zero-carbon future".

Urgent need

Such events also highlight the urgent need to "prepare cities and rural areas for the impact of climate change", he added. "It's not something we have the luxury of dealing with in 20 or 30 years' time; it requires hundreds of billions of investment (dollars) today."

The Indonesian government is grappling with how best to deal with the immediate impact of the floods. Soldiers and health workers have been disinfecting the capital to avoid outbreaks of disease. While some people move back to their homes, it may take weeks for the city to return to normal. There are also concerns that the process could be delayed by more heavy rain.

The Jakarta Flood Victims Advocacy Team is already considering filing a lawsuit on behalf of flood victims.

Experts say the latest floods show how the government needs to do more while limiting the sinking of the city. The World Resources Institute estimated the city is sinking at a rate of 10.16 centimeters annually.

Arief Wijaya, climate and forests senior manager of WRI Indonesia, said the lack of green space in Jakarta was a contributing factor to the flooding.

"The lack of tree cover, particularly around rivers, disrupts the local hydrologic balance. This lessens the absorption of rainfall into the ground, trapping the water on the surface," he said.

Adi Pradana, WRI Indonesia's sustainable land use manager, said: "It's a complex issue with complex drivers. Solutions need to come from different fronts."

Pradana said construction projects around rivers should be halted, while fresh focus should go to environmental protection efforts, population and urban planning.