8 Jan 2020

More rain expected for flood-stricken Jakarta

From Summer Report, 8:37 am on 8 January 2020

Thousands of Indonesians are displaced, dozens are dead, and at least two others are missing following the worst flooding the country's seen in more than two decades.

The deluge began on New Years Eve and quickly inundated South-East Asia's biggest capital city, Jakarta.

The Indonesian air force dropped thousands of kilograms of salt on rainclouds headed toward the city, in an effort to break them up and stop the rain hitting land - an exercise known as cloud-seeding. And while it appears the cloud-seeding might have worked for the short-term, with the waters now mostly receded in the city, other towns remain soaked and residents have been told to brace for more rain.

ABC Indonesia correspondent, Anne Barker, told Logan Church the current death toll of 6 - the highest death toll for flooding since 2007 - was likely to grow.