2007 Jakarta flood

2007 Jakarta flood

A Jakarta taxi submerged by flooded water.
Duration:	2 February–12 February 2007
Fatalities:	54
Damages:	$400 million[1]
Areas affected:	Jakarta, West Java, Banten

The 2007 Jakarta flood was a major flood in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and affected several other areas around the city, such as West Java and Banten. The flood, beginning on February 2, 2007 was a result of heavy rain, deforestation in areas south of the city, and waterways clogged with debris.^[2] The flood is considered the worst in the last three centuries, including the 1996 and 2002 Jakarta floods, which killed 10 and 25 people respectively.^[3]

Although the death toll is still not finalised, the last update reported it to have reached 54, and this was confirmed by the health ministry.^[4]

Causes

Meteorological

The most significant reason of the disaster is the high rate of rain, since the rainy season in Indonesia starts in December and ends in March. In 2007, the rain intensity reached its peak in February, with the greatest intensity towards the end of the month.^[5]

Geographical

The combination of the increased loss of vegetation in the upper catchments of rivers that flow into the Jakarta region, and the lack of adequate flood prevention being constructed by either the national or city governments - has created a situation where floods created by heavy rainfall cannot be adequately diverted away from the Jakarta area.^{[citation needed]} Eventually, water flowing into Jakarta overflows some of the city's flood control systems and causes devastation in these areas.

Impact

The flood affected 80 separate regions in and around Jakarta, and over 70,000 homes were flooded, resulting in the displacement of some 200,000 people, of which 5,729 are still to return by March 11^th.^[6] Although the highest officially confirmed death toll is 54,^[4], there are reports that it is as high as 68.^[6] There was a high level of illness, with 1,066 patients treated by hospitals due to diarrhea and 329 due to dengue fever.^[6] The flood has caused Rp 8 trillion (US$879.12 million) in losses.^[7] A total of approximately 190,000 people have fallen ill due to flood-related illnesses.^[8] The nature of the flood in which it extends from riverbanks to surrounding areas has caused the lower-class communities, many of which live on the riverbanks themselves in wooden houses, to take the strongest impact of the flood.

Aid

HOPE worldwide has already distributed 5 metric ton (11,000 lbs) of food, water, medicines, clean up kits to 10,000 people.^[6][9] As of March 7, another 5 metric tons had arrived in Jakarta ready for distribution.^[6] The total aid cost is expected to be $239,556 to benefit over 55,000 persons.^[6] So far, 10% has been committed by organisations such as McDonald's, Heart to Heart International and IOM.^[6]

See also

• Jakarta
• Flood
• Subsidence

References

External links

• Jakarta Flood 2007 at WN
• Pictures of flood on BBC News site
• BBC radio interview with Jakarta-based blogger