Rainfall this month still normal, says BMG

Rainfall this month still normal, says BMG

JAKARTA (JP): Rainfall in the capital this month has been
normal, but heavy rains might be recorded by the end of this year
and reach a peak in January, according to an official.

Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) spokesman Wa'antarmin
said on Wednesday that rainfall since early October here marked
the beginning of the annual rainy season.

The rainfall measured so far this month by the BMG is
considered to be normal, with an average of 92 millimeters per
hour, he said.

But, he said, the impact of the La Nina weather phenomenon
would increase the amount by 15 percent.

"However, we can't say that a significant increase in rainfall
will cause heavy flooding because floods are not mainly caused by
heavy rainfall," Wa'antarmin said.

Jakarta Bay's high tide, the vast amount of garbage clogging
canals and massive water flows from mountainous areas in the
south, such as Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur, play strong roles in
flooding here, he explained.

Wa'antarmin therefore reminded Jakartans to stay vigilant
against the possibility of a major flood.

Early August, BMG warned Jakartans that the La Nina weather
phenomenon, which arises from unusually cool temperatures in the
Pacific Ocean, could intensify flooding during this year's rainy
season.

The agency has predicted that floods in the city could be
worse than that in 1996, when some of Jakarta's 10 million
inhabitants endured the most widespread flooding in the city's
history.

The central government plans to allocate Rp 93 billion to the
Jakarta administration for a massive flood prevention program.

But a lecturer at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture said last
month that BMG's forecasts were baseless, saying La Nina would
not play a significant role in any future floods as predicted by
the agency.

Hidayat Pawitan, a lecturer at the institute's Geophysics and
Meteorology Department, said: "The effects of the La Nina
phenomenon in the form of heavier rain happen only during the dry
season. During the rainy season, the impacts of La Nina are
usually offset by the domination of the monsoon."

Early this week, the city's flood prevention team said the
five observation stations along the Ciliwung and Pesanggrahan
rivers had recorded a significant increase in water levels in the
rivers.

Ciliwung and Pesanggrahan are the two main rivers that cross
the capital from the south to the north.

One of the team's officials, Sumanta, said the level of the
two rivers had risen to 165 centimeters from the normal level of
100 centimeters.

Most flood-prone areas in Jakarta would become inundated if
the levels of the two rivers reached the emergency level of 200
centimeters, he said.

The five 24-hour observation stations are located in
Pulogadung, Pesanggrahan, Manggarai, Karet and Depok. (ivy/bsr)