Thousands displaced after flooding hits Jakarta

Approximately 10,000 people have been displaced after severe flooding hit the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. It is thought that two people have been killed by the adverse weather.

East Jakarta was hit the hardest with seven out of its 10 subdistricts inundated with water, with floods reaching up to three-meters high.

The head of the Banten office of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Suyadi Wiraatmadja, said floods had displaced more than 10,000 people from their homes, although most of them had returned to their homes now that floods were receding.

The floods also forced the TransJakarta network to close down some bus stations and divert routes in three of its 10 corridors.

Ardan, a neighbourhood chief, said: "This time, the floods came in slow, so residents had time to prepare. The 2007 floods in comparison came in fast. This time it was rather slow, so people could pack up their belongings before evacuating." (NewsPoint)