Climate Crisis and Jakarta Flood

The rainfall in Jakarta on New Year’s Day 2020 was the highest in history. Flooding depends on not just heavy rainfall, but also geological and geographical conditions, infrastructure, management and how people react.

KOMPAS/IWAN SETIYAWAN

Volunteers rescue a mother and baby who were trapped in a flood in Cinangka village, Sawangan, Depok, Wednesday (01/01/2020). Heavy rain on the previous day inundated various areas in Greater Jakarta.

The rainfall records at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) shows that extreme rain occurred across and around Jakarta on 31 Dec. 2019 and 1 Jan. 2020. The heaviest recorded rainfall on New Year’s Day was 377 millimeters at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, 335 mm at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), 260 mm in Jatiasih, 246 mm per day in Cikeas and 226 mm per day in Tomang.

The 377 mm that fell at Halim airport was the highest recorded rainfall in Greater Jakarta since the Dutch colonial government started recording the region’s rainfall in 1866. The previous highest recorded rainfall was 367 mm, which occurred in Sunter in February 2015. Flooding also hit Jakarta in 2015, but it was not as severe as this year.