Jabodetabek Floods, What is the Current Situation and What Causes It?

Floods are widespread in Jabodetabek, why did this happen?

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency stated that it has issued warnings of potential very heavy to extreme rain for several regions in Indonesia in the last two days. However, local governments are considered slow to respond.

Rain intensity is predicted to remain high, especially in western Indonesia and Papua, as cyclonic circulation forms in the Indian Ocean.

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati, Tuesday (4/3/2025), said that she had actively provided the latest weather information in areas hit by heavy to extreme rain.

However, regional readiness in responding to early warnings still needs to be improved 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.

What is the current condition of Bekasi?

The overflow of water from the Bekasi River flooded almost the entire area of Bekasi City in West Java. Residents' activities were disrupted, even paralyzed in some areas, because settlements and shopping centers were submerged in floodwaters of more than 3 meters. Residents are waiting for a concrete solution from the government.

Bekasi River overflowed due to heavy rain in the upstream area (Bogor) and local rain in Bekasi City. At least 20 points in seven sub-districts were flooded until Tuesday (3/4/2025) afternoon. Floods hit Bekasi Mega Mall, housing, highways, and Bekasi Station.

Pondok Gede Permai and Villa Jatirasa were the most affected with flood heights of more than 3 meters. These two housing complexes are right on the riverbank with a dividing wall embankment of more than 2 meters.

Bekasi Deputy Mayor Abdul Harris Bobihoe said that almost all sub-districts were affected by the flood so that sub-district offices became evacuation and health posts as well as public kitchens.

"The total number of evacuees is 5,000 families, while the number of people affected is up to 16,000 families," said Abdul.

Bekasi Mayor Tri Adhianto said, this flood has paralyzed Bekasi City. The water level even exceeded the usual, which is more than 5 meters.

"Currently the focus is on evacuation and handling refugees. There has been assistance from BNPB and we are optimizing what is available," said Tri.

What happened in Bogor City?

The road to Batutulis Station, Bogor City, West Java, was damaged by a landslide triggered by rain since Monday (2/3/2025). The station's operations were temporarily suspended. Landslides also occurred in several areas in Bogor, endangering a number of residents living near the Ciliwung-Cisadane River. In another location, an 11-month-old baby was a victim of a landslide.

Indonesian Railways Public Relations Manager for Operational Area I Ixfan Hendriwintoko said that the main road that is the main access for residents to Batutulis Station collapsed twice, namely at 00.10 WIB, and at 03.00 WIB, Tuesday (4/3/2025). This road is usually used by two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles.

From monitoring at the location, the edge of the cliff that holds the road collapsed towards the station. As a result, cracks appeared on the road along about 50 meters. With these conditions, the operation of Batutulis Station was temporarily stopped. Police lines have also been installed on the damaged road section towards the station. Ixfan said, the distance between the crack point and the station is estimated to be around 300 meters.

What about the upstream area in Puncak, Bogor Regency?

The upstream areas of rivers in Jabodetabek, namely Puncak in Bogor Regency, West Java, have been continuously hit by disasters in the last decade. Overflowing rivers, flash floods, and landslides always hit this area, sometimes resulting in loss of life, injuries, and material losses.

Finally, as many as 346 residents are still displaced and 204 houses were affected by flooding triggered by heavy rain in the Puncak area, Cisarua, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Tuesday (3/4/2025). The disaster is suspected to have occurred due to the narrowing of the river due to the increasingly massive construction of residential areas. The local government has declared an emergency response status until Monday (3/17/2025).

Head of the Disaster Data and Information Center of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Abdul Muhari said that as of Tuesday, 346 residents were still displaced in Cisarua.

Flooding in this area occurred on Sunday night (2/3/2025). Heavy rain in the Puncak area was one of the triggers. As a result, the Ciliwung River, unable to accommodate the water discharge, overflowed, inundating residents' homes along the riverbanks.

As a result of this incident, 204 houses were affected. BNPB noted that 16 houses were severely damaged, 24 houses were lightly damaged, and 1 house was moderately damaged.

"Along with the development of disasters in a number of areas, BNPB reminds the public to remain alert to the potential for subsequent disasters," he said in a written statement, Tuesday.

To prevent this from happening again, efforts will be made to relocate residents living on the riverbanks to a safer place.

How much of Jakarta is flooded?

Head of the Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Data and Information Center Mohamad Yohan said that South Jakarta and East Jakarta were the areas most affected by flooding in Jakarta on Tuesday (3/4/2025). The height of the water in both areas reached more than 3 meters.

Yohan said the current flood was mostly caused by the overflowing Ciliwung River. Over the past two days, there has also been massive high-intensity rain in the West Java region which has caused rivers in Jakarta to overflow.

"The cause of the flood in Jakarta is high rainfall and the overflowing of the Pesanggrahan River, Krukut River, and Ciliwung River," he said.

On Tuesday at 16:00 WIB, the water level in the Ciliwung River reached 80 centimeters, giving it a flood alert status of Level 4. Although the status of the Katulampa Dam has dropped from Alert 1 to Alert 4, residents living in areas through which the Ciliwung River flows must remain vigilant, given the potential for rain in the Bogor, Depok, and Jakarta areas.

Katulampa Dam is located on the Ciliwung River in Bogor City, West Java. From Katulampa Dam, some of the Ciliwung River water is channeled through the sluice gate to Kali Baru Timur. From East Bogor, the water then flows to Jakarta, then to Cimanggis, Depok, and Cilangkap, before finally flowing into the Kali Besar area, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

The Jakarta BPBD recorded that 122 RTs and two roads in Jakarta were flooded until Tuesday (3/4/2025) at 16.00 WIB. The BPBD recorded that 1,792 people were displaced due to the disaster.

What kind of damage did the upstream-downstream areas that triggered the Jabodetabek disaster look like?

Almost the entire catchment area of the Ciliwung River Basin has been damaged from upstream to downstream. The Puncak area, Bogor Regency, West Java, as the upstream of the Ciliwung River Basin, which has been considered a supplier of floodwaters for Jakarta, has contributed 8 percent to the Jakarta flood. The rest of the Jakarta floods originate from problems in the middle to downstream zones of the river basin.

During the period of 2013-2018, based on the mapping of critical land conducted by the Watershed and Forest Management Agency (BPDAS-HL) Citarum Ciliwung, critical land in the water catchment area of the Ciliwung River has increasingly expanded and deteriorated.

In 2013, the critical land in the upstream watershed was recorded at 63 hectares, with moderately critical land covering approximately 7,400 hectares. Five years later, in 2018, the central part of the upstream zone located in the Puncak area, encompassing Megamendung and Cisarua sub-districts, had become severely critical, with an area of no less than 4,600 hectares, nearly half the size of the two sub-districts.

Similarly, in the central zone of the watershed, stretching from Katulampa Dam to Cijantung, East Jakarta, the condition has also deteriorated. Several locations in that zone were found to have started becoming somewhat critical in 2018.

According to IPB University hydrology expert, Hidayat Pawitan, it is not quite right to say that the Jakarta floods were caused by upstream problems in Puncak.

Therefore, if we want to handle flooding in Jakarta and Bodetabek properly, restoring environmental balance and integrated development throughout Jabodetabek is urgently needed.

How will the new regional head act to prevent disasters from recurring?

Several natural disasters have occurred in various regions of West Java, at least in the past week. Floods and flash floods have claimed lives, while landslides and ground subsidence have triggered evacuations. Regional leaders, although newly inaugurated, are being urged to respond more swiftly to these disaster events.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said that post-disaster handling has been carried out. Coordination between the National Disaster Management Agency, West Java BPBD with city/district BPBD has been carried out. The form is like handling at the disaster location to logistical assistance. In the future, he hopes that mitigation will remain a priority.

Dedi suspects that one of the causes of the flash flood disaster in Puncak is due to land conversion. In fact, the Puncak area should be used for tea plantations or forestry so that it has good water absorption and does not trigger disasters.

Therefore, he will soon conduct an inspection to Puncak with the Minister of Environment. The results of the visit, said Dedi, will be a provision for making important decisions next.

Previously, the Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency Dwikorita Karnawati emphasized that the role of local governments in disaster mitigation is very crucial. This is especially in ensuring that every early warning is followed up with anticipatory steps in the field.