Kebon Pala Flooded as Floodwaters Reach More Than One Metre

Kebon Pala in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, was flooded on Tuesday morning with water reaching around 140 centimetres, or more than one metre. ‘This morning, the water has reached around one metre, it’s rising, around 140 cm,’ said Sanusi, head of RT 13/RW 04 Kampung Melayu, when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday. The flood was triggered by rainfall since Monday (18 May) afternoon through evening. Water levels continued to rise, inundating homes in low-lying areas. Sanusi said heavy rainfall has fallen almost daily in recent times, particularly in the late afternoon to night. ‘Water started to rise around 04:00 WIB this morning. The cause is rain and inflows from Bogor and Depok,’ he explained. He noted that floods in Kebon Pala have become a recurring occurrence in recent days. Although the water height has reached one metre, residents were still staying in their homes and had not evacuated. ‘No one has evacuated yet; they are still on the second floor, still safe,’ Sanusi said. Meanwhile, the East Jakarta Disaster Risk Reduction Agency (BPBD) continues to monitor the affected area and deploy personnel to anticipate possible water rises. ‘This is being handled by the local kelurahan together with PPSU (Penanganan Prasarana dan Sarana Umum), TRC (Tim Reaksi Cepat) BPBD, Dinas Sumber Daya Air, Satpol PP, Tagana, and Gulkarmat (Pengendalian Kebakaran dan Penyelamatan),’ said Rangga Bima Setiawan, head of the Disaster Management Task Force for the East Jakarta Administrative City, when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday. He urged residents to remain vigilant, especially during heavy rainfall.