Kedah MB stands firm on logging in the Ulu Muda forest reserve

Sea water inundates parts of Indonesia's capital, say officials

source: AfP via Yahoo! Malaysia News

JAKARTA (AFP) - - Sea water inundated parts of Indonesia's capital overnight, flooding homes in the north of the city with up to 70 centimetres (2.3 feet) of water, officials said Wednesday.
However, the waters, which poured into homes despite reinforced defences, were less severe than authorities expected, a North Jakarta public works official who identified himself as Eko told AFP.
The World Bank last week warned that the peak of an 18-year astronomical tide cycle would combine with storm surges to flood swathes of the capital, as well as shutting off the toll road to the city's international airport.
The airport road was untouched by the surging water and the early warning allowed the public works authority and residents to reinforce defences with makeshift sandbag and stone barriers, Eko said
"We had been anticipating the high tides and warned people in flood-prone areas in North Jakarta to prepare for the floods caused by the high tides," Eko said.
The peak of the flooding hit between 9.00 pm (1400 GMT) and 11.00 pm Tuesday and was 2.06 metres higher than the standard sea level at Jakarta's Fish Market measuring station, public works official Fakhrurrazi said.
Despite gloomy warnings last week, the World Bank revised its forecast on Monday, saying that a reduced storm surge would mean defences in most of the city could contain the flooding.
Jakarta, a coastal city of over 12 million which is sinking under its own weight, frequently experiences flooding from higher than average tides. Sea water floods in May closed off the road to the airport.

World Bank warns tidal flood may engulf Jakarta today

source: AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News
JAKARTA, Indonesia (5/30/08) - The World Bank has warned that an exceptionally high tide could inundate the Indonesian capital next week (6/3/08 -ed.), forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and cutting off a major highway.
The situation _ exacerbated by global warming and the fact that Jakarta is sinking up to 2 inches (6 centimeters) a year _ could mean that the flooding will exceed last November's roof-high levels in the hardest-hit areas, said Hongjoo Hahm, the bank's infrastructure expert.
"This is just the beginning," Hahm said, as he pointed to homes reaching a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland that will likely be affected next Tuesday (6/3/08 -ed.) and Wednesday (6/4/08) -ed.) by the 18-year semiannual tide cycle. "It's getting worse and worse."
The 18-year high tide cycles occur when the sun and moon are in direct alignment and making their closest approach to the Earth. Other factors, such as global warming or El Nino and La Nina, have made the sea swells even larger in recent years, Hahm said.
The government should consider building a dike to protect Jakarta Bay, he said, "but that will cost billions of U.S. dollars."
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation, is one of the world's largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions, because of the rapid pace of deforestation. But experts say the country is also at risk of becoming one of the biggest victims of climate change.
Rising sea waters especially pose a threat to coastal cities like Jakarta, which has sunk at least 7 feet (2 meters) in the last three decades because of excessive ground water extraction, said Hahm.