Once Only Every Five Years During Rainy Season, Now Floods Strike with Just a Little Rain

SOUTH TANGERANG, KOMPAS.com - Residents of Taman Mangu Indah housing complex in Pondok Aren, South Tangerang, are complaining about flooding that now occurs more frequently.

Previously, flooding only arrived in a five-year cycle, but now water pooling can appear almost every month. Even several times in close succession.

Chairman of RT 02 RW 12 Taman Mangu Indah, Sugiyanto (63), said the change in flooding frequency has been felt in recent years.

“If in the past it was maybe every five years and only during the rainy season, now even a little rain causes flooding, and sometimes we don’t even have rain but still get flooded,” Sugiyanto told Kompas.com at the location on Sunday (3/5/2026).

According to him, the increased water volume is suspected to be related to the expansion of residential areas in the upstream region, such as Bintaro.

This condition reduces water absorption capacity, resulting in a larger flow of water reaching Taman Mangu.

“There used to be a lot of empty land, so water absorption was maximal. Now there are many housing estates, so more water flows here,” he said.

The stream flowing through the housing complex is a tributary from the Ciputat River, which was previously in the news due to changes and narrowing.

“Yes, it’s true, the stream in Taman Mangu flows from Bintaro,” he said.

“Now even a little rain causes flooding. It can happen several times a year. In the past, it wasn’t this bad; it would take more than five years for the next flood,” said Imawan.

In the most recent flood, the water level reached about 50 centimetres (cm). Even water entered residents’ homes, including those that had been elevated.

“Houses that have been raised by about 30 centimetres still get water inside. Especially those that are lower,” he said.

In addition to the increased frequency, residents also highlighted the condition of infrastructure, which they assess as not yet capable of addressing the flooding.