2013 Jakarta flood

The 2013 Jakarta flood was a flood in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, which, in addition to areas in downtown Jakarta, also affected several other areas surrounding the city, such as West Java and Banten.

2013 Jakarta flood
Date15 January–23 January 2013
Location
Deaths47[1]

History

Severe floods have been reported to have hit Jakarta in the past, including in 1621, 1654, 1918, 1942, 1976, 1996, 2002 and 2007. An important part of the flooding problem is caused by the fact that a substantial part of Jakarta is low-lying. Around 24,000 ha (about 240 square km) of the main part of Jakarta is estimated to be below sea level.[2] Flooding can become severe if heavy rain happens to coincide with high tides. When this happens, high tides tend to push water into low-lying areas just as the run off from rains in upland areas such as nearby Bogor is flowing down into the Jakarta area.

Duration
People walk through Jakarta's flooded streets

The flood in 2013 began on Tuesday, 15 January 2013, in some parts of the city as a result of heavy rain and waterways clogged with garbage and other kinds of debris. Serious flooding began along several main thoroughfares of Jakarta. A 30-meter-long section of Jakarta's West Flood Canal dike on Jalan Johannes Latuharhary in Menteng collapsed. This breach quickly caused flooding in nearby areas. Military personnel, the Jakarta public works agency, and public order officers joined forces to quickly replace the collapsed dike section with a temporary retaining wall made of rocks and sandbags. Workers finished rebuilding a section of a canal dike.[3]

The clearing of the land above Jakarta has been identified as a major contributor to Jakarta's water table and flooding issues.[4] Jakarta has a very bad sewage system due to the disposing of trash in roads and sidewalks. There were 47 deaths reported.

Transport

The city's main airport was open but many roads leading to it were reportedly blocked. The flooding disrupted train services from Manggarai Station in South Jakarta to Tanah Abang Station in Central Jakarta. Most commuter trains and buses were suspended, and roads were difficult to access.[5]

Flooding was reported at the presidential palace, forcing the postponement of a meeting between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his visiting Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernandez.[6]

Death toll

There were 47 deaths reported.[1]

Evacuations

Evacuations were carried out in parts of Jakarta. An estimated 20,000 people were evacuated 17 January 2013[7][8]

Nationwide flooding

Other parts of Indonesia, from Sumatra[9] to Sulawesi,[10] have also seen seasonal flooding, though it is most acute in the capital city, Jakarta. Five died in Sulawesi,[10] while another 4 died in Semarang by flood electrocution.[11] Yogyakarta is on high alert for lahars, as some 70 million cubic meters of volcanic material still cling to the slopes of Mount Merapi, and heavy rains could trigger an avalanche.[11]

gollark: Imagine if stuff in the hub got views if you saw it...
gollark: "you're asking for xenowyrm hatchlings? I'll just offer a single xenowyrm"
gollark: The chances go massively up the more ***sanely placed*** they are.
gollark: They may read it on the hub at least.
gollark: Sorry, I don't understand the cryptic abbreviations.

See also

References
  1. "Daftar Korban Meninggal Banjir 2013". BPBD Jakarta. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  2. Stay alert on floods: Jokowi', The Jakarta Post, 26 January 2013.
  3. Siregar, Hotman (19 January 2013). "Floods Recede in Central Jakarta, as Damaged Dike Repaired". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. See also 2007 Jakarta flood and Flooding in Jakarta for more details
  5. Jakarta floods displace thousands | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! News
  6. Jensen, Fergus; Rieka Rahadiana (17 January 2013). "Floods paralyze Indonesian capital, heavy rains continue". Reuters. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  7. "Evacuations as Jakarta floods". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. "Thousands evacuated amid Jakarta floods - Asia-Pacific". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  9. "More regions affected by landslides, floods | The Jakarta Post". Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  10. "Five die as S. Sulawesi floods intensify - Indonesia | ReliefWeb". Reliefweb.int. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  11. Electrocution kills 4 in flooded Semarang | The Jakarta Post
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