Torrential rain floods Jakarta

A month’s worth of rain in 24 hours has left parts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, underwater.

Fortunately, there were no reports of loss of life following the downpours on Monday night, which hit Jakarta and the satellite cities of Bekasi and Tangerang. A total of 87 floods were reported across Jakarta by the morning rush hour.

Unsurprisingly, in a city which struggles to deal with traffic congestion, there was disruption to road and rail services. Both Gambir and Sudirman railway stations were closed.

Jakarta Observatory reported a 24-hour rainfall total of 277.5 millimetres, which is the equivalent of one month’s worth of rain

It has been less than two months since Jakarta was hit by the heaviest rainfall the city has seen in more than a decade. Then, 60 people were reportedly killed in the flooding. In the January floods, 377mm of rain fell in a similar period of time.

The current situation remains critical, however, with the Ciliwung river continuing to rise and posing a threat to many parts of the city as it is already at a dangerously high level.

The rainfall is probably the result of a change of wind direction brought about by two tropical cyclones, one over the Northern Territory of Australia and the other just off the coast of Western Australia.

Heavy showers will remain a risk for Jakarta over the next few days, although there is nothing in the forecast predictions to suggest anything as heavy as Monday night.