Jakarta Lashed by Rain Despite El Niño Forecast, Pramono Orders River Dredging

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has requested his subordinates to carry out river dredging to prevent flooding. This step is being taken because Jakarta continues to experience heavy rain despite the BMKG predicting that the El Niño period will last until September 2026. “The BMKG has officially stated that from the end of April to September, it will be El Niño,” said Pramono at Jakarta City Hall on Thursday (7/5/2026). In fact, rainfall amounts approaching 150 millimetres per day have caused flooding in several areas. “But in reality, there have been several instances of rain, including the recent one with nearly 150 millimetres per day that caused flooding,” he explained. Therefore, Pramono has asked the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) and the Water Resources Agency (SDA) to remain on alert. He has also ordered river dredging to ensure water flow is not obstructed. “So I have already instructed the Bappeda team, as well as the Water Resources Agency, to continue anticipating and to dredge the existing rivers so that we do not experience what happened recently,” stated Pramono. He also highlighted rubbish that hinders water flow during heavy rain. “Yesterday, the information was that it was already El Niño, already dry, but it turned out to be raining. And that caused blockages in some places due to rubbish and so on, and that must not happen again,” said Pramono.