Posted on January 28, 2026
At the beginning of 2026, Jakarta has been hit by floods three times. The trigger is heavy rain exceeding 150 millimeters (mm) per day. The intense rainfall has shaken Jakarta due to the lack of water absorption areas and the limited capacity of both micro and macro drainage systems.
“The issue of flooding is due to insufficient catchment areas,” said Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung after inspecting the dredging of Kali Sepak in Kembangan, West Jakarta, on Monday (26/1/2026).
Kali Sepak is one of the macro channels. Its flow accommodates the discharge from the surrounding micro channels and connects to Kali Angke, eventually draining into Cengkareng Drain.
“Therefore, even if everything is excavated (drainage and rivers), there is no additional sediment, it can only accommodate rainfall of 150 millimeters per day,” said Pramono.
During the heavy rain on January 22, for example, the housing around Kali Sepak was flooded by dozens of centimeters. Most of the residents’ houses are situated lower than the river.
The width of the river is 9 meters with a sediment deposit of 1 meter. Currently, the Jakarta Provincial Government is dredging the river with a target volume of sediment to be removed amounting to 7,458 cubic meters.
The Jakarta Water Resources Agency must continuously dredge to ensure optimal river flow. In addition to increasing water storage capacity, dredging also aims to facilitate the flow.
Dredging is divided into three segments, namely the meeting point of Kali Angke-New Kembangan Road Bridge-New Pulau Bira Road Bridge; Pulau Bira Road Bridge-JA Bridge; and JA Bridge-Kembangan Raya Bridge. The total length of these three segments is 1.24 kilometers.
Three excavators and 10 transport trucks were deployed to dredge the Sepak River. The sediment resulting from the dredging was then disposed of at the Confined Disposal Facility in Ancol, North Jakarta.
Conditions during the flood
Jakarta was hit by floods on January 12, January 18, and January 22. At that time, heavy rain triggered local flooding and river overflow in more than 100 neighborhood units and dozens of roads.
The Head of the Jakarta Water Resources Agency, Ika Agustin Ningrum, during a review of the Sepak River, exemplified the water level at the Cengkareng Drain Gate, which reached 350 cm. The water level then gradually decreased to 315 cm and 265 cm, allowing water from upstream to slowly flow and ultimately the flood receded on January 22.
“This time, the macro channel has a capacity of only 150 mm of rainfall per day. Therefore, the rain on January 12 and January 18 exceeded 200 millimeters, which automatically caused the river to overflow,” said Ika.
The condition of micro channels, such as drainage, is designed for a rainfall capacity of 100 mm per day. When the rainfall exceeds this figure, it is certain to overflow. This occurred, among other times, on January 22. The rainfall did not reach 150 mm per day. However, its duration lasted for 8 hours, even extending into the morning in the upstream area.
This condition, Ika continued, has caused flooding in West Jakarta. At that time, the Cengkareng Drain was full and could not drain the water. “Additionally, the inflow from upstream has made the receding of water take longer,” she stated.
Ika added that dredging, such as in the Sepak River, has been carried out in stages since October 2025. However, dredging cannot be done haphazardly.
The position of the retaining wall at Kali Sepak is in accordance with the maximum water elevation. As a result, the sediment that can be dredged is only 1-2 meters. If it exceeds that, the retaining wall could collapse.
In addition, West Jakarta has a somewhat different condition compared to North Jakarta. The land elevation is lower than the sea to the north, while on land, the settlements are lower than the river.
“Indeed, the polder system and pumping system in densely populated residential areas are essential so that water can be drained into the river,” said Ika.
During three consecutive floods, all 600 stationary pumps and 500 mobile pumps were deployed.
Medium-term normalization
Along with the flooding, Pramono also inspected the Cakung Lama River in the Begog and Pedongkelan segments in Cilincing District, North Jakarta, on January 23. He ensured that the normalization of the river is a priority for medium-term flood management.
The Cakung Lama River, for instance, has severely narrowed, causing a constriction of water flow before reaching the sea. This condition has a direct impact on flooding in Kelapa Gading, Sukapura, Cilincing, Pegangsaan Dua, and Koja.
The Jakarta Water Resources Agency reported that the Begog segment has only 2-3 meters remaining from its original condition of 20 meters. The narrowing, high sediment levels, and the occupation of buildings along the riverbanks increase vulnerability to flooding.
The Jakarta Provincial Government plans to free up land in Kampung Begog to restore the channel’s function according to the planned capacity. This effort is expected to reduce the risk of recurring floods in the Cakung Lama river basin.
After that, Pramono and his team held a limited meeting at the Jakarta City Hall to evaluate the handling of consecutive floods. In the meeting, strategic steps were formulated as standard operating procedures (SOP) for flood management.
One of them is to ensure the function of the Cengkareng Drain Gate. This infrastructure is connected to the Angke River, Sepak River, Pesanggrahan River, Mookervart River, Apuran River, East Flood Canal (BKT), and several connecting channels (Phb), namely the Pedongkelan Phb on the west side and the Kapuk Raya Phb on the east side.
According to Pramono, flood management was relatively good. Everything was handled well. However, preventative measures are still being taken to mitigate the impact of the flooding.
“According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), there is still a possibility of heavy rain, one of which is on January 27,” said Pramono.
He confirmed that weather modification operations (OMC) are continuing. This cloud seeding is being carried out to reduce the potential for rainfall on land.
“However, for the medium term, as I have mentioned once again, Jakarta will carry out normalization for the three main rivers, Ciliwung, Krukut, and Cakung Lama. I have requested that this be decided promptly,” said Pramono.
