Heavy Rainfall Accompanied by Tidal Waves Triggers Long Duration Floods

Jakarta Governor, Pramono Anung revealed that extreme rainfall and the simultaneous tidal flooding were the main causes of the flooding in several areas of Jakarta taking a long time to recede last weekend.

because of the tidal flooding

Pramono explained the intensity of the rain that drenched Jakarta last weekend was extremely high. Data from eight monitoring points in North Jakarta showed very high rainfall, ranging from 260 millimeters (mm) to 280 mm. This was also accompanied by a tidal wave phenomenon currently occurring on the north coast.

"So the flooding lasted so long because of the puddles on several roads, including on Gunung Sahari, which lasted so long because of the tidal flooding ," he explained, Tuesday (1/20).

Weather Modification Essential to Mitigate Disaster Risks

Pramono highlighted the worst impacts in North Jakarta, particularly in the Kelapa Gading and Gunung Sahari areas. Although the Jakarta Provincial Government has deployed all flood control infrastructure, water remains difficult to drain into the sea.

A total of 1,200 pumps, both stationary and mobile, including those belonging to the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, have been operating at maximum capacity. However, rising sea levels have hampered the drainage of water from the mainland.

"The problem is that there was a tidal flood, then the water cannot go down, it cannot be pumped," he added.

As a result, the floodwaters were reported to have fully receded by 7 AM on Monday morning. To address potential extreme weather conditions, the Jakarta Provincial Government has confirmed to continue its Weather Modification Operations (OMC). OMC is conducted using data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).