Flood "Comes Quietly" from Depok! 10 RW in Ciracas Drowned When the Rain Was Reda

East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service (Gulkarmat) officers evacuated residents in the Cibubur, Ciracas, Jaktim area (photo: doc, between)

Jakarta - The flood that submerged 10 RW in Ciracas District, East Jakarta, occurred "unexpectedly" when the local rain had stopped. This reveals a crucial fact: the overflow of water from the upstream area in Depok became the main trigger for the disaster.

The head of the Ciracas sub-district, Panangaran Ritonga, explained that the rain in his area had indeed been falling since Saturday afternoon, March 21, but the water rise actually occurred around 19.00 WIB when the rain began to subside. This condition shows that the volume of water from the upstream, especially the Cimanggis area, is very large and is the dominant factor.

The increased water discharge in streams such as Kali Baru along Jalan Raya Bogor and Kali Cipinang caused water to overflow into residential areas. As a result, at least 10 RW were affected with water levels reaching 50 centimeters to one meter, even in some places reaching 1.7 meters at the peak of the early Sunday flood.

According to Panangaran, the issue of the breach of the canal in the Cibubur area is not the main cause. "Even without damage, the water still flows because the volume is very large. This is purely a flood from upstream," he said.

This phenomenon once again confirms the classic challenges of downstream areas such as Ciracas which are very dependent on weather conditions in the upstream area. Heavy rain in Depok can directly impact East Jakarta in a short time, even when the downstream area is not rained on.

Entering the morning, conditions began to gradually improve. Water levels fell to around 15-20 centimeters at a number of points. The district apparatus is now coordinating with related services to handle affected residents, including providing evacuation sites.

The team from the East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service also intervened to evacuate residents, especially vulnerable groups. Head of the Gulkarmat Sudin of Jaktim, Muchtar Zakaria, said that the priority of evacuation was given to toddlers, the elderly, pregnant women, and sick residents.

A total of 47 people were evacuated from various points, including six toddlers, six elderly people, one pregnant woman, and two residents in a sick condition. Evacuations were also carried out in a number of other locations with water levels above one meter.

A number of residents chose to evacuate to the village office, while others stayed at relatives' houses. The local government urged the public to increase vigilance, especially when heavy rain occurs in the upstream area.

"If in the upstream heavy rain, the impact will definitely be here. So residents must remain vigilant even though the rain here has subsided," said Panangaran.