Jakarta Floods and Gridlock as Torrential Rain Batters Capital

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Torrential rain that drenched Jakarta on Thursday afternoon (October 30, 2025) triggered chaos across the Indonesian capital. Flooding crippled major roads, fallen trees crushed vehicles, and at least one person was reported dead. Traffic across the city, particularly in South Jakarta, came to a near standstill, worsened by malfunctioning traffic lights and overflowing rivers.

Floods in Fatmawati and Kemang Bring Traffic to a Halt

Around 4:30 p.m. local time, heavy rainfall inundated the Fatmawati area in Cipete, South Jakarta. Floodwaters covered sections of the main road near ITC Fatmawati, making it impassable to vehicles.

The Traffic Management Center (TMC) of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police reported power failures at several intersections, including the Fatmawati–TB Simatupang traffic lights.

“At 16:22, the Fatmawati traffic lights in South Jakarta malfunctioned. Drivers are advised to be cautious. Officers from the city’s Transportation Agency are handling the situation,” TMC wrote in a public update.

Joint teams from the police and the Transportation Agency were deployed to redirect traffic. Congestion spread toward TB Simatupang and Antasari intersections as vehicles were diverted from flooded areas. Motorists reported standstills lasting more than 30 minutes.

In nearby Kemang, floodwaters submerged Jalan Kemang Raya from Pangeran Antasari Street to the Kemang area.

“At 17:19, flooding was reported on Kemang Raya Street from Pangeran Antasari,” the police traffic center noted.

The flood stretched from Sotis Hotel to Kem Chicks supermarket, forcing drivers to seek alternate routes.

Flooding Expands, 54 Neighborhood Units Submerged

Jakarta’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD DKI Jakarta) recorded that as of 9:00 p.m., 54 neighborhood units (RT) were flooded—53 of them in South Jakarta.

“Tonight’s flooding was caused by exceptionally high rainfall. The heavy downpour across Jakarta and surrounding areas pushed several river posts to alert level 3,” said Mohamad Yohan, the BPBD’s head of information services.

Affected areas included Cilandak, Pondok Labu, Cipete Utara, Petogogan, Bangka, Pela Mampang, and Kebagusan, with water depths reaching up to 160 centimeters in some areas. Overflowing Krukut and Mampang rivers were identified as major causes.

Fallen Trees in Dharmawangsa: One Fatality

Two large trees toppled in the upscale Dharmawangsa area of Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Thursday afternoon. One tree crushed two cars on Dharmawangsa X Street, while another fell in front of Plataran Restaurant, damaging four cars and a motorbike.

“Four cars – a Lexus, two Avanzas, and an Alphard – plus one Scoopy motorcycle were hit. It happened around 3 p.m.,” said Hendri, a local civil service officer.

He confirmed one fatality in the incident.

“The victim, identified as Adi Sucipto, approximately 50 years old, has been evacuated,” Hendri added.