Root Causes of Floods Besieging Surabaya During the Dry Season

Surabaya, East Java, was hit by flooding in the middle of the dry season. Mayor Eri Cahyadi explained several factors causing the floods. Heavy rain that poured for two consecutive days submerged dozens of points in the City of Heroes. Mayor Eri apologised for the flooding. “I apologise to the residents of Surabaya for the inconvenience that occurred. We are currently working maximally in the field,” said Eri. Rain began falling in the morning and caused several areas in east, south, and west Surabaya to be inundated. Eri said, based on information from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the flooding occurred due to a wet dry season cycle. “Earlier BMKG said there is this cycle, it is God’s decree, nature,” said Eri. Apart from heavy rain, Eri revealed the flooding was also caused by drainage and culvert projects currently underway in various areas of Surabaya. During the construction process, some channels are temporarily closed so that water flow is not optimal when heavy rain occurs.