BMG warns city of flooding

BMG warns city of flooding

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Meteorologists warned the city administration and residents to
brace for possible flooding with high levels of rainfall
predicted for January.

The city already has witnessed heavy rain in the past several
days.

"Both the Jakarta administration and residents have to prepare
for high precipitation levels in January. Otherwise, flooding
will be inevitable," Paulus Agus Winarso of the Meteorology and
Geophysics Agency (BMG) was quoted by city-owned news portal
beritajakarta.com as saying on Thursday.

"The current rainfall is only the beginning of what we will
see in January," he said.

Paulus also said environmental degradation, coupled with high
rainfalls, played a role in flooding.

BMG, which is scheduled to hold a meeting next Tuesday to
forecast rain levels for January, has always stressed the
importance of preserving the environment.

Meanwhile, detik.com on-line news agency quoted a BMG
employee as saying it was impossible to predict floods because
there were too many contributing factors.

"We cannot forecast if there will be flooding or not but we
can forecast whether rain levels will be normal or above normal.

"The higher the rainfall, the higher the possibility of
flooding. A lot depends on residents keeping the waterways clear
of all obstructions," the employee said.

Separately, a study has found that incessant rain for five
hours in a 57.6-square-kilometer area along the Ciliwung River in
January and February poses flood threats for the city.

Jakarta must brace itself if monthly rainfall exceeds 100
millimeters, according to the study. This equals 4,170 cubic
meters per square kilometer per hour.

Jointly carried out by the Agency for the Assessment and
Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Bandung Institute of
Technology, the study began in October.

The study looked at rain levels along the Ciliwung River from
1989 to 2002. It also analyzed the height of the river in Depok
since 1978.

Baginda Patar Sitorus of BPPT said the study predicted only
about a 70 percent chance of flooding in January and February
this year.