"Heavy downpour in the upstream and central areas of Ciliwung River has triggered flooding along the the river bank areas in Jakarta," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, noted in a statement.
Floodwaters, reaching a height of up to 1.5 meters, submerged several areas in East Jakarta, such as Cawang, Cibubur, Rambutan in Ciracas Sub-district, Cililitan, Kampung Melayu, and Bidakara Cina in Jatinegara Sub-district.
In Cawang, floodwaters reaching 150 centimeters high affected 3,896 people of 1,188 households, and one-meter-deep floodwaters in Kampung Melayu affected 1,456 people, or 443 families.
He urged the residents of Jakarta to remain vigilant as the peak of the rainy season will last until late February 2017.
Meanwhile, floods have also hit the three sub-districts of East Cikarang, Kedungwaringin, and Muara Gembong in Bekasi District, West Java Province, following incessant heavy rains that caused the Citarum River to overflow its banks since Monday.
The floodwaters reached a height of up to two meters and inundated an elementary school in Kedungwaringin.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
