No flood, only medium rain combined with high tide: BMG
No flood, only medium rain combined with high tide: BMG
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakartans may enjoy one more day of dry weather, but according to
the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency's (BMG) latest weather
forecast, Wednesday should see light drizzle and/or medium rain.
Even though there will be a full moon, prompting the highest
tide of the month, no flooding is expected if that is combined
with a small amount of rain, said a forecaster on duty at the
BMG.
Medium rain is categorized as daily precipitation of between
20 millimeters and 50 mm. By comparison, the heavy rain that
inundated parts of Jakarta on New Year's eve was above 100 mm.
"There are a lot of factors that come into play for it to rain
exceptionally hard," said Dedi Sucahyono of the BMG. Aside from
the forming of clouds, the low and high pressure that determined
wind direction were also crucial, he said.
Within two days, low pressure over the Indian Ocean will
result in rain on most of Java.
"If the clouds are saturated, rain will fall," explained Dedi.
Therefore, people must prepared. BMG has forecast rainfall to
be higher than normal this month, but has not given a specific
number. The normal range for rainfall in January in Jakarta is
between 300 mm and 500 mm, depending on the area.
During the Great Flood of January 2002, the rainfall ranged
from 582 mm to 1,094 mm, while in 2001 it was between 157 mm and
851 mm.
Although the Jakarta administration has received ample
warning, little has been done to prevent the annual floods.
The Flood Mitigation Agency has, however, distributed cellular
phones, pre-paid cards and two-way radios to 186 heads of flood-
prone subdistricts. But such measures are questionable as the
bureaucratic chain of command may delay quick responses.
The administration was also questioned over the Rp 10 million
(US$1,176) relief fund that was said to be given to flood-prone
districts but failed to reach citizens. For example, residents of
Penjaringan subdistrict in North Jakarta, who were inundated
around the New Year, said that there was no emergency shelter nor
public kitchen in the area.