Agency warns of more rains

JAKARTA (JP): The Meteorological and Geophysics Agency has warned that heavy rains are expected to hit much of Indonesia, including Jakarta, until March.

The agency's prediction and climate service head, Endro Santoso, was quoted by Antara Wednesday as saying heavy downpours in many parts of Indonesia this year produced more than 50 mm of water a day.

Daily rainfalls of 103mm a day hit Puncak, West Java, Central and West Jakarta.

The heaviest rains (154 mm a day) fell in Buru Island and many parts of Irian Jaya, Endro said.

He said one millimeter of rain was equal to a liter of water on a square meter. "Therefore, if an area gets 100 mm of rain on one square kilometer the area will hold 100 million liters of water, minus five million liters which will evaporate." (sur)