The BMKG has predicted heavy rainfall in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi until Wednesday.
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A South Jakarta firefighting team evacuates residents from flooded homes on Monday night (5/2) in Rawa Jati subdistrict, Pancoran district, South Jakarta. Heavy rain upstream in Bogor, West Java, caused flooding in neighborhoods along the banks of the Ciliwung River.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – One person was killed and three went missing in a landslide in Puncak, Bogor, on Monday (5/2/2018). The main access road to the area has been cut off. The high water level of Ciliwung River is sparking fear of flooding in Jakarta and Depok.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted heavy rainfall in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi until Wednesday (7/2). Rainfall is mainly concentrated in southern Greater Jakarta, including Bogor. The BMKG has urged residents to remain wary of weather conditions until March.
“People all over Greater Jakarta must be wary. However, the [rainfall] is mainly concentrated in the south, but also in the west and east,” BMKG weather forecast and early warning division head Ramlan said in Jakarta on Monday. Orographic rain in the mountainous region south of Jakarta is affecting weather in the area.
In the East Jakarta subdistrict of Cipinang Melayu, an overflow of water from Sunter River flooded community units (RW) 003 and 004 from early dawn to the afternoon on Monday. Hundreds of homes were inundated in 40 to 75 centimeters of water. People in Kampung Ambon, Kebon Pala subdistrict, Jatinegara, had been preparing for floods since Monday morning. Ciliwung River overflowed and inundated the densely populated area with up to 60 cm of water in the lowest part of the area on Monday afternoon.
Residents were seen moving furniture and electronics out of their inundated houses to neighboring homes. “At 10 a.m., the water was just 10 cm deep. Now it’s 60 cm. It looks like it will continue to rise until the evening,” said Wariyem, 57, of Kebon Pala. She had just moved her washing machine to her neighbor’s home.
On Monday morning, the water level in the Katulampa Dam in Bogor reached 220 cm and was continuing to rise, prompting the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to issue its highest flood alert for people living along Ciliwung River. Heavy rainfall has been registered in the river’s upstream area in Bogor since Sunday (4/2).
BMKG records show that rain fell all over Greater Jakarta for 24 hours straight from Sunday morning to Monday morning. The highest intensity of 152 millimeters was recorded at Bogor’s Citeko meteorology station. “Rainfall intensity of more than 150 mm per day is categorized as extreme rainfall,” Ramlan said.
In Jakarta, Governor Anies Baswedan urged residents to be cautious of weather conditions and the water flowing in from Bogor. The Jakarta administration has prepared 400 pumps and dozens of mobile pumps. At least 12 flood watch spots have been established.
Landslides in Puncak
Landslides occurred in several spots in Puncak, Bogor, at around 9 a.m. on Monday. At least one person, identified as Lilis, 45, was killed. Another is in critical condition and three more have sustained injuries in South Tugu village, Cisarua, near the Atta’awun Mosque. In Riung Gunung, Cisarua, three people were reportedly buried in a landslide.
“We will continue evacuation efforts tomorrow morning,” Bogor BPBD emergency and logistics division head Sumardi said in Riung Gunung.
Bogor BPBD data show that five people are reported missing in Puncak. Search efforts are going on for another five following a landslide at Kilometer 13.800 of the Sukabumi-Bogor railway line in Warung Menteng village, Cijeruk, Bogor regency.
A landslide has left 40 meters of the tracks hanging free in the air, resulting in the railway line’s complete closure. “Eight people suffered minor injuries, and we are searching for five missing persons,” Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi M Dicky Pastika said.
Puncak cut off
Police have closed the main access road to Puncak since Monday morning to facilitate rescue efforts and make way for heavy equipment. “Tonight, we will open the road only to Gunung Mas. The rest of the way is still closed,” Bogor traffic police chief Adj. Comr. Hasby Ristama said. The access road may be reopened on Wednesday.
As of Monday night, electricity was still down in a number of landslide-affected areas in Puncak. Vehicles from Bogor were permitted to go only to Gunung Mas.
Due to the Puncak access road’s closure, traffic from Jakarta to Cianjur has been diverted through Sukabumi. Meanwhile, traffic the other way has been diverted through Jonggol. State-owned railway operator PT KAI has deployed a team to handle the railway traffic disruption between Bogor and Sukabumi. “We are trying to minimize the rail traffic disruption between Bogor and Sukabumi,” said Edy Kuswoyo, PT KAI’s senior spokesman for the Jakarta operational region (Daop Jakarta).
The Bogor-Sukabumi railway handles 10 train services a day, comprising six passenger train services and four rail freight services. PT KAI Daop Jakarta said all services are cancelled until further notice.
Restoration
Experts are proposing a restoration of Puncak’s original ecosystem to prevent further fatal landslides. Possible ways to address this are collective management of the region involving the administrations of West Java and Jakarta or through an authoritative body.
Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) agrarian and ecology politics researcher Arya Hadi Dharmawan said he proposed restoring Puncak’s original conditions as far as possible. “This requires huge efforts and a huge amount of money,” he said.
Without the courage to restore the ecosystem and support environmental sustainability in and around Puncak, bad news will always terrorize Bogor, Jakarta and the surrounding regions.
