Intense landsliding and flooding in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, has resulted in at least 43 fatalities and massive evacuations.
Heavy rainfalls struck the region from New Year's Eve evening until the following day. As a result, parts of Jakarta in addition to some nearby towns were inundated.
According to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, the majority of the victims were located in East Jakarta and Bogor district. 5 people were buried under the debris of landslides, 17 died after being swept away by floodwaters and 5 more were electrocuted.
Infrastructure and vehicles suffered critical damage. Buildings were flooded or filled with debris while cars were destroyed after being swept away.
The Indonesian Meteorological Agency stated that it was one of the worst rainfall incidents since recordings initiated back in 1866 and the highest flood since 1996. On January 1, 2019, officials measured more than 380mm of rain at East Jakarta airport. The agency mentions that such phenomena are a result of climate change.
More than 60,000 people have been evacuated due to the disastrous incident and they are accommodated in temporary shelters.
According to predictions, intense rainfalls will continue for a week more. On Friday, January 3, 2019, Indonesia decided to seed clouds with salt in order to reduce precipitation in Jakarta. The Technology Agency BPPT and the Indonesian Air Force conducted 3 seeding operations. The purpose of those missions is to drop sodium chloride in clouds and trigger rainfalls before they reach Jakarta. “We will do cloud seeding every day as needed,” Hammam Riza, chief of BPPT, stated.
Jakarta is currently sinking very fast as a result of sea-level rise and (mostly) as the region experiences intense subsidence that may reach up to 20 centimeters annually. Therefore, the city is very prone to flooding.
During 2019, the construction of a massive wall to protect the city from sinking in the following years was proposed. The total cost of the project would reach $41.6 billion.
Sources: Reuters, CNN, TheGuardian
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