Flooding in Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia’s weather bureau on January 6 warned that more heavy downpours are expected after rains triggered flooding and landslides last December, killing at least 66 people in Jakarta and surrounding areas.
Local authorities advised people to stay vigilant and safeguard their possessions ahead of more pounding storms over the coming weeks.
About 377 mm of rain submerged Jakarta, a megalopolis home to some 30 million, with floodwaters reaching up to the second floor of some buildings after rivers overflowed.
Thousands remained in cramped Jakarta shelters and many residential areas were isolated. Authorities said two more people went missing in Lebak, west of Jakarta, while many others were hospitalised when their houses collapsed.
One day earlier, health workers and soldiers sprayed ravaged parts of the capital with disinfectant in a bid to prevent disease outbreaks.
Indonesia with its tropical climate often suffers from flash floods and landslides, mainly triggered by monsoon rainfall between October and April.
However, this year’s deluge was the heaviest in its capital since record keeping began in the 19th century, the weather bureau said, leading to the city’s deadliest flood disaster in years.
Experts blamed poor infrastructure for severe flooding in Jakarta. Last year, the Indonesian government revealed a plan to move the capital city to East Kalimantan on Borneo island./.
Local authorities advised people to stay vigilant and safeguard their possessions ahead of more pounding storms over the coming weeks.
About 377 mm of rain submerged Jakarta, a megalopolis home to some 30 million, with floodwaters reaching up to the second floor of some buildings after rivers overflowed.
Thousands remained in cramped Jakarta shelters and many residential areas were isolated. Authorities said two more people went missing in Lebak, west of Jakarta, while many others were hospitalised when their houses collapsed.
One day earlier, health workers and soldiers sprayed ravaged parts of the capital with disinfectant in a bid to prevent disease outbreaks.
Indonesia with its tropical climate often suffers from flash floods and landslides, mainly triggered by monsoon rainfall between October and April.
However, this year’s deluge was the heaviest in its capital since record keeping began in the 19th century, the weather bureau said, leading to the city’s deadliest flood disaster in years.
Experts blamed poor infrastructure for severe flooding in Jakarta. Last year, the Indonesian government revealed a plan to move the capital city to East Kalimantan on Borneo island./.
VNA
