ABSTRACT

Late in January 2007, the annual rains that wash down on Jakarta began during what is commonly referred to as the “rainy season.” Over the next week, steady rain filled Jakarta’s rivers and canals as it does annually, creating conditions ripe for flooding if the precipitation continued. It did. The heavy rains started the evening of February 1, leaving many areas of the metropolis flooded by the following morning. By noon, the heavy rains resumed. South, Central, and North Jakarta, including the exclusive Kalapa Gading community that had been hit hard by flooding in 2002, found itself again isolated by high waters, in some areas over 1 m deep. And still the rain continued, even harder than earlier. It was not until late on February 4 that the inundation slowed.