JAKARTA, Jan 3 — The death toll from the floods which have hit Jakarta since Wednesday has risen to 30.
Although the situation in flood-hit areas has improved, more than 60,000 people were reported to be still at evacuation centres today.
According to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Body (BNPB), the death toll was as at 9pm yesterday and the causes of death were drowning, landslides, electrocution and hypothermia.
Apart from several areas in Jakarta, certain places in nearby cities like Tangerang, Depok, Bekasi and Bogor were also flooded following heavy rains on new year’s day.
“BNPB would like to urge residents whose houses are still flooded to move to higher grounds as heavy rains are forecast and the water level may rise suddenly,” said its head of data, information and community relations centre, Agus Wibowo, in a statement.
The Climatology and Geophysical Meteorological Body (BMKG), in a statement, said among the causes of the floods was extremely heavy rainfall which hit a record 377mm, compared to the previous high of 340mm in 2007.
BMKG said heavy rains were forecast to continue until January 10.
— Bernama
