Floods in Several Areas, Early Warning of Extreme Weather Responded Too Late

JAKARTA, KOMPAS-The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency stated that it has issued warnings of potential very heavy to extreme rainfall for several regions in Indonesia over the past two days. However, local governments are deemed slow to respond.

The intensity of rainfall is predicted to remain high, particularly in the western part of Indonesia and Papua, in line with the formation of a cyclonic circulation in the Indian Ocean.

Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded that heavy rain in Bogor Regency on Sunday night (2/3/2025) triggered a flash flood that resulted in the death of one resident. Seven bridges were damaged, and 1,399 people from 381 families in Bogor were affected by the flood.

Flooding also spread in South Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Monday night (3/3/2025). The affected areas included Pondok Aren, Pamulang, Ciputat, and North Serpong. The South Tangerang Regional Disaster Management Agency recorded that 1,870 houses were affected by the flooding.

In Jakarta, floods were also reported to have affected several areas, primarily triggered by the overflow of the Pesanggrahan River and the Ciliwung River. The floods mainly occurred in South Jakarta and West Jakarta.

The report from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in recent days stated that rainfall with very heavy to extreme intensity has occurred in several regions, including the City of Cirebon, Riau, Bogor Regency, Mimika Regency, Padang Pariaman, and Manggarai.

The Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Dwikorita Karnawati, on Tuesday (4/3/2025), stated that they have been actively providing the latest weather information in areas affected by heavy to extreme rainfall.

However, regional readiness in responding to early warnings still needs to be improved in order to reduce the impact of disasters that can threaten public safety.

The role of local government in disaster mitigation is crucial, especially in ensuring that every early warning is followed up with anticipatory steps in the field.

Dwikorita added that early warning is not just information, but also a call for real action. The speed and readiness to respond to early warnings of extreme weather are very important in determining risk mitigation efforts, both in terms of casualties and material losses.

"We continue to provide early warnings of extreme weather through various official communication channels, including the website, mobile application, SMS blasting and BMKG social media. However, the effectiveness of this early warning depends on the readiness of the region to respond with concrete action," he said.

Dwikorita added that closer coordination is needed between local governments and communities to minimize the risk of hydrometeorological disasters more quickly and effectively.

The highest rainfall intensity in Indonesia in the last 24 hours was recorded at the Citeko Meteorological Station, West Java, reaching 115 millimeters (mm) per day, followed by the Banten Climatology Station at 94 mm per day, and the Fl Tobing Meteorological Station, North Sumatra at 77 mm.

BMKG Deputy for Meteorology Guswanto, Tuesday (4/3), said that high intensity rain still has the potential to occur in several areas during the period of 4-11 March 2025. The potential for heavy rain is especially in the western part and the Papua Islands.

Atmospheric waves such as Equatorial Rossby, Low Frequency, and Kelvin are predicted to remain active in most of Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Papua. This has an impact on increasing the growth of rain clouds with varying intensity in the area.

"High rainfall still has the potential to occur and needs to be watched out for, especially in areas that are vulnerable to extreme weather," he said.

Guswanto added that the latest analysis shows the formation of cyclonic circulation in the Indian Ocean, precisely in the west of Aceh, and in the south of Papua. This triggers a slowdown in wind speed or convergence in various waters, including the Natuna Sea, Banda Sea, the southern waters of Sulawesi, the Arafuru Sea, and Maluku.

In addition, wind confluence areas were detected stretching across the Flores Sea, Banda Sea, Arafura Sea, to southern Papua.

Heavy rainfall is still likely to occur and needs to be watched out for, especially in areas that are vulnerable to extreme weather.

Other areas of wind speed slowdown (convergence) were also observed extending from the East Coast of Riau to the Riau Islands, from West Sumatra to South Sumatra, from the Indian Ocean south of East Java to South West Java, from East Kalimantan to South Kalimantan, from the Sulawesi Sea to East Kalimantan.

This condition has the potential to trigger increased rainfall in these areas and can have an impact on maritime activities and coastal communities.

In addition, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) phenomenon that is still active in the Papua Islands strengthens the dynamics of the atmosphere in eastern Indonesia. The MJO contributes to increased convection activity that can increase the potential for heavy rain in several areas.

BMKG analysis shows the development of convective clouds in various regions, including Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Lampung, Banten, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, and almost all regions of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua.

This condition plays a role in supporting the process of rain cloud formation, especially during the day to evening or night. "Atmospheric activity increases," he said.

Therefore, BMKG appealed to residents in the affected areas to be aware of heavy rain accompanied by lightning, strong winds, and flooding. "Regular weather monitoring is very important to anticipate the impact of the ever-evolving atmospheric dynamics," said Guswanto.