Parts of Jakarta, Bekasi flooded

INDONESIA: A two-hour downpour in Greater Jakarta on Saturday left hundreds of houses in the capital and Bekasi flooded.

Water reached up to 50 centimeters high in the Taman Galaxi housing complex in Bekasi, as residents attempted to block off the nearby Pekayon River with sandbags.

Antara reported that many residents fled their homes for the safety of higher ground, while others waited out the flood on the second floors of their houses.

Houses along the banks of the Ciliwung River in Manggarai, South Jakarta, were also inundated.

An employee at the Katulampa floodgate in Bogor, south of Jakarta, said the water level was at 80 centimeters, 20 centimeters higher than normal, as of 6 p.m. on Saturday.

"The rising water level is due to heavy rain in Puncak and Bogor," he said.

On Wednesday, eight hours of heavy rain left much of Greater Jakarta flooded, causing massive traffic jams throughout the capital. -- JP