FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008 8:01 MECCA TIME, 5:01 GMT World Bank warns of Jakarta flood
With Jakarta sinking by up to 6cm a year, flooding has become increasingly common [EPA] The Indonesian capital Jakarta is at risk of severe flooding with an exceptionally high tide predicted to hit the city next week, the World Bank has warned. The tidal surge – part of an 18-year cycle - is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, and could force thousands of people to flee their homes and cut off major roads. Jakartais already sinking at up to 6 centimetres a year, and bigger sea swells caused by global warming could unleash unprecedented flooding, Hongjoo Hahm, the World Bank's infrastructure expert, said. "This is just the beginning," he told the Associated Press, adding that houses up to 1.6 kilometres inland could be affected. "It's getting worse and worse." Rising sea waters pose a threat to coastal cities like Jakarta, which has sunk at least 2 meters in the last three decades due, experts say, to factors such as excessive ground water extraction. Hahm said the government should build a dike to protect Jakarta Bay but conceded that it "will cost billions of US dollars". Flooding in the Indonesian capital in November last year saw thousands of homes submerged to roof level. The 18-year high tide cycles occur when the sun and moon are in direct alignment, and making their closest approach to the Earth. Experts say Indonesia, one of the world's largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions caused by rapid deforestation, is also at risk of becoming one of the biggest victims of climate change. Source: Agencies --------------- Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
