Floods in Jakarta displace thousands amid heavy rains

Torrential rain that began on Monday has led to widespread flooding in and around Indonesia's capital, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

Floodwaters, reported to reach up to 3 meters, have submerged over 1,000 houses, blocked roads, and inundated vehicles, according to the country’s disaster agency.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung raised the alert level to the second highest of the critical stages and urged local authorities to activate water pumps and employ weather modification techniques—such as shooting salt flares into clouds—to try to mitigate the flooding before the rain reaches land.

In the eastern town of Bekasi, local media reported that floodwaters have swamped a hospital, with water entering some wards and causing power outages. As a result, patients have been evacuated to other facilities. Reuters reporters observed rescuers navigating thigh-high water on rubber boats to evacuate residents trapped in a housing complex since early morning.

“I hope the floods will soon recede,” said Sri Suyatni, 50, who was forced to leave her home with little time to collect her belongings after her entire house was submerged.

The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area, home to over 30 million people, is no stranger to flooding. However, several local sources noted that the current situation, particularly in Bekasi, is the worst seen since the major floods in 2020, when torrential rains—the heaviest in a single day since records began in 1866—claimed the lives of 60 people.

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