Heavy rain causes flooding up to 3 meters deep in Indonesian capital, thousands evacuated

Thousands of people were evacuated in Indonesia's capital Jakarta today (March 4) after heavy rain caused widespread flooding, and the downpour is expected to continue for the next few days.

Rescuers use rubber boats to evacuate people from flooded areas near Jakarta on March 4.

Heavy rains since March 3 have caused flooding in the capital Jakarta, with some areas experiencing water up to 3 meters deep in the inner city and suburbs, according to Reuters on March 4, citing an announcement from Indonesia's disaster response agency.

Flooding has left several roads blocked and more than 1,000 homes and many vehicles submerged.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung raised the disaster alert to the second highest level. He instructed local authorities to activate pumps to drain water from flooded areas and take appropriate weather-related measures.

One intervention is to fire salt flares into the clouds to cause rain to occur earlier before the clouds reach land.

A house submerged in floodwaters in Bekasi on March 4.

Local media reported that floodwaters also inundated a hospital in the eastern Jakarta town of Bekasi, with water entering some medical wards and forcing the hospital to urgently evacuate patients. Power outages also occurred in some areas of the hospital.

Rescue teams use rubber boats to evacuate people trapped in floodwaters in a residential area of ​​Bekasi town.

Ms Sri Suyatni, 50, said she did not have time to collect her personal belongings before evacuating and her entire house was submerged in water.

The Jakarta metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, is regularly hit by floods. However, some local media reported that this was the worst flooding since 2020, especially in the town of Bekasi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mua-lon-gay-ngap-sau-den-3-mo-thu-do-indonesia-hang-ngan-nguoi-so-tan-185250304182609005.htm