Jakarta. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said record-breaking rainfall was the main cause of flooding that hit parts of the capital over the weekend, describing the downpour as the heaviest recorded during his nearly one year in office.

“Rainfall on Saturday and Sunday was the highest in almost a year since I took office as governor,” Pramono said on Tuesday during a visit to Central Jakarta.

According to Pramono, rainfall totals reached extreme levels, with eight locations in North Jakarta recording 260 to 280 millimeters over several hours, an unusually high amount for the capital, where totals above 200 millimeters are rare

The heavy rain persisted for around eight consecutive hours, triggering water overflows and widespread flooding in several areas. The most severe impacts were reported in North Jakarta, particularly in Kelapa Gading and Gunung Sahari, he said.

Pramono added that tidal flooding worsened conditions in low-lying coastal areas, causing floodwaters to recede more slowly than usual. Several main roads, especially in North Jakarta, remained inundated for hours despite extensive pumping efforts.

To address the situation, the Jakarta provincial government deployed around 1,200 pumps, including both stationary and mobile units. However, extreme weather combined with high tides hampered drainage efforts.

“Because of the extreme weather and the tidal conditions, the water could not recede quickly,” Pramono said.

While flooding initially disrupted traffic and mobility, Pramono said many roads and transport routes began reopening by Sunday, with follow-up mitigation continuing through Monday.

Despite the flooding, the city did not need to open large-scale evacuation centers. “There were evacuations, but only on a limited scale,” he said.

The Jakarta administration continues to brace for further flooding during the rainy season, including by intensifying weather modification operations that have been carried out over the past month to reduce rainfall intensity.

Add as a preferred source on Google +