Massive Floods Hit Jakarta On New Year's Day

JAKARTA, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- Several areas in Jakarta were hit by massive floods Wednesday following heavy rainfall since Tuesday, disrupting flight and rail services. Several major roads in the capital city of Jakarta were under flood water of up to one metre deep, and the authorities have also shut off electricity in certain areas to ensure the safety of residents. Commuter and rail services were also affected since the rail tracks were inundated in up to one metre deep of water. According to the official twitter of the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) of the Metro Jaya district police (Jakarta), the flood-affected areas were in South Jakarta, Central Jakarta and East Jakarta. In a statement by the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), besides Jakarta, cities near Jakarta such as Bekasi, Tangerang and Depok, were also flooded, especially the low-lying areas. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency in a statement said the heavy rainfall was predicted to continue in Jakarta for the next three days and feared would worsen the flood situation. According to local media, the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta was also unable to operate since Wednesday morning as the runway was flooded. The airport executive general manager, Nandang Sukarna said all flights this morning were diverted to Soekarno-Hatta Airport. -- BERNAMA