Jakarta: World’s Fastest-Sinking City

Submitted by a reader

North Jakarta has sunk 2.5m in 10 years, and over 4m in three decades

Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, which is home to more than 10 million people, is also of the world’s fastest-sinking cities.

“It sits on swampy land, the Java Sea lapping against it, and 13 rivers running through it. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that flooding is frequent in Jakarta and, according to experts, it is getting worse. But it’s not just about freak floods, this massive city is literally disappearing into the ground.”

North Jakarta has sunk 2.5m in 10 years, and more than 4m over the past three decades, and is continuing to sink by as much as 25cm a year in some parts, which is more than double the global average for coastal megacities. It is so low that seven of the city’s sewage-choked rivers actually have to flow uphill to reach Jakarta Bay.

It generates more than 20 per cent of Indonesia’s GDP and further subsidence would create an economic nightmare for the country’s 261 million people.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44636934
https://www.news.com.au/

Ecological Disaster Declared for Forest Canopy near Jakarta, Indonesia

ANTHROPOGENIC HAZARDS
ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS: DEFORESTATION
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Jakarta floods due to ecological disaster: Environment Minister

“The floods that we now face are all a result of an ecological damage. Our ecology has been completely destroyed,” said Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya, while visiting the devastated are in Bogor on Monday.

“Everything happens because of human behavior which is not environmentally friendly, especially in Ciliwung, where garbage is being dumped into the river,” he said.

The destruction has occurred upstream area of Ciliwung river that runs through the capital, Jakarta, where flooding has already forced more than 65,000 people to flee their homes.

In the Ciliwung Watershed, the forest coverage has decreased from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 2.3 percent in 2010, or a 400-fold drop in the past 10 years.

Balthasar asserts that the flooding in Jakarta and landslides in nearby areas are caused by the ecological devastation in Ciliwung, including the increasing areas of critical land plagued with high levels of erosion and sedimentation, as well as high fluctuation of water flow between the dry and rainy seasons.

“The rate of ecological damage or environmental degradation in Indonesia year to year has been alarming. It was evident from the decrease in the forest coverage from 49.37 percent in 2008 to 47.73 percent in 2012, or degraded by 1.64 percent within four years,” reported Antara

Balthazar has also blamed the ecological disaster in the area on the locals who dump their waste into the river.

Related Links

• Floods Destroy or Damage Thousands of Homes in Indonesia January 20, 2014
• Tens of Thousands Displaced in Indonesia Floods, Landslides  January 19, 2014

Floods Destroy or Damage Thousands of Homes in Indonesia

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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Worsening floods and landslides leave dozens dead and 170,000 people homeless in Indonesia

Extreme Rain Events have triggered more flooding and landslides across the Indonesian archipelago, claiming dozens of lives and leaving at least 170,000 people homeless including the northern coast of Java, various parts of the capital Jakarta and North Sulawesi province.

The total number of people who have lost their homes include

• 65,000 In Jakarta
• 85,000 in North Sulawesi province
• 20,000 on the  northern coast of Java

Dozens of people have lost their lives since the latest round of flooding began on January 14.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency [BNPB] has warned more rains and flooding could hit the disaster areas over the next few days.

Meanwhile, the casualties and the number of people made homeless by the extreme climatic events continue to rise.

Related Links

• Tens of Thousands Displaced in Indonesia Floods, Landslides  January 19, 2014

Tens of Thousands Displaced in Indonesia Floods, Landslides

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
.

Widespread flooding and landslides have left dozens killed, and tens of thousands displaced in Indonesia

Dozens of people were killed and at least 40,000 others made homeless by severe flash flooding and landslides in eastern Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, according to reports.

Indonesian Army, the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and other organizations have been mobilized to evacuate victims after floods and landslides hit North Sulawesi, affecting multiple districts in several regencies, reported Jakarta post.

Flooding in Jakarta

Meanwhile, widespread flooding triggered by extreme rain events  in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 homeless, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.

Dozens of locations buried under up to 80cm of floodwater since Wednesday , most of which were located in West Jakarta, according to  BPBD.

“Jakarta witnessed one of its most devastating disasters when substantial flooding inundated 70 percent of the capital’s land mass in 2007, causing 57 deaths and displacing 450,000,” said a report.

Severe flooding triggered by extreme rain events  has inundated the Indonesian capital Jakarta, leaving at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 displaced, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.(Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.) More images…

Strong Earthquake Strikes Southern Sumatra

M6.5 Earthquake Strikes Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia

The strong shock was centered at 4.063°S, 101.085°E and occurred at an estimated depth of about 27km on Wednesday, May 05, 2010 at 16:29:03 UTC, USGS/EHP said.

The earthquake epicenter was located about 50km (31 miles) NNW of a large 8.5Mw quake which struck on September 12, 2007 at a depth of about 34km (21miles) killing at least 25 people.

Tsunami Status

The Pacific Tsunami Center ruled out the possibility of a destructive widespread tsunami as a result of this quake, but did not rule out “a very small possibility of a local tsunami” that may affect the local coasts within a radius of about 100km from the quake’s epicenter.

Fire-Earth Forecast:

Fire-Earth Forecasts large scale volcanic activity in and around Sumatra Region in 2010 and beyond.

10-degree Map Centered at 5°S,100°E

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Map enhanced by Fire-Earth.

Earthquake Details

• Magnitude: 6.5
• Date-Time:
  • Wednesday, May 05, 2010 at 16:29:03 UTC
  • Wednesday, May 05, 2010 at 11:29:03 PM at epicenter
• Location: 4.063°S, 101.085°E
• Depth: 27 km (16.8 miles)
• Region: SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
• Distances:
  • 135 km (85 miles) WSW of Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
  • 215 km (135 miles) WSW of Lubuklinggau, Sumatra, Indonesia
  • 355 km (220 miles) SSE of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
  • 680 km (420 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
• Location Uncertainty:  horizontal +/- 5.3 km (3.3 miles)
• Source:  USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
• Event ID: us2010vxbk

Related Links:

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

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Death Toll Rises in Indonesia Landslide

15 Bodies recovered, up to 70 others believed buried, hundreds displaced

Tropical monsoon rains triggered a massive mudslide on a steep slope of a tea plantation in West Java’s Bandung district on Tuesday morning, burying about 50 houses.

According to the latest reports, the mudslide in Ciwidey area, about 150 km (90 miles) southeast of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, has also buried a small tea factory, a health center and a mosque, leaving as many as 800 workers displaced.

“Two excavators arrived last night but the digging has mostly been done with hoes,” the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson said.

Fire-Earth believe that a combination of deforestation, seismic activity and tropical monsoon rains is expected to cause more landslide throughout Indonesia.

The landslide left a trail of raw earth on this steep slope above houses and tea plantation buildings in West Java’s Bandung district. (AFP Photo/Pikiran Rakyat). Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-Earth Fair Use Notice.

Partial map of Indonesia with Bandung near the center.

Political Map of Indonesia (US Govt). Click image to enlarge.

Related News Links:

• Indonesian Landslide Death Toll, Number Of Missing Rise
• Hundreds of Bandung Plantation Workers Displaced by Disaster

Related Fire-Earth Links:

• West Java landslide buries village, 5 killed, 72 missing

Deadly Earthquake Strikes Java, Indonesia

Powerful earthquake measuring at least 7.3 Mw strikes off the coast of Java, Indonesia.

FEWW ‘EarthModel’ estimated the magnitude as 7.6 Mw, while the quake was recorded by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center as a magnitude 7.3Mw (±0.4 )

More than 20 people have been killed according to the initial reports, with  hundreds of structures destroyed or damaged in the city of Tasikmalaya and town of Sukabumi west of Java. Thousands of people have been evacuated, taking refuge in open areas, including the grounds of a military base.

Dozens more people were injured, including up to 50 people in Jakarta, about 190km from the epicenter, officials said.

Magnitude 7.6Mw destroyed or damaged many buildings in the city of Tasikmalaya west of the island of Java. Photo: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

The quake struck offshore, with the epicenter about 115km west-southwest of Tasikmalaya city (190 km SSE of the Capital Jakarta), at a depth of about 60 km.

The mainshock was followed by at least 4 aftershocks, with 2 of the shocks measuring 5.6 and  5.2. Local tsunami warnings automatically issued after the quake have now been withdrawn. Local seismologists reported small  sea levels rises near the west coast of Java.

Summary of Earthquake details as reported by
European-Mediterranean Seismological Center

Magnitude:  7.3 Mw (±0.4 )
Region:  JAVA, INDONESIA

Date and time: 2009-09-02 at 07:55:03.8 UTC
Location: 7.84 S ; 107.35 E
Depth: 70 km
Distances:

• 91 km S Banjaran (pop 164,952 ; local time 14:55 2009-09-02)
• 72 km S Banjar (pop 37,263 ; local time 14:55 2009-09-02

Automatic GEOFON Global Seismic Monitor

© Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum – GFZ

GFZ Potsdam – Earthquake Bulletin

• Region: Java, Indonesia
• Time: 2009-09-02 07:55:02.7 UTC
• Magnitude: 7.4
• Epicenter: 107.34°E 8.00°S
• Depth: 62 km
• Status: manually revised

USGS/EHP
In line with their current practice of downsizing nearly all their EQ reports in 2009, USGS Earthquake Hazard Program downgraded the quake to a magnitude 7.0 Mw.

FEWW Earthquake Forecast For Java/Bali Region:

• Region: Java/Bali, Indonesia
• Date of Occurrence: September to Late December 2009
• Magnitude: 8.4+
• Epicenter: 10°40’31.43″S 114°55’33.81″E
• Depth: 40 km

Related Links:

• Magnitude 6.8 EQ Strikes BANDA SEA
• Earthquake Forecast: Timor Sea
• Australian Oil Disaster May Get a Lot Worse
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Soputan volcano erupts

Lava from Mount Soputan flows 2 km from crater

Indonesia’s Vulcanology Survey raised alert level for Soputan volcano located on Sulawesi island to level IV, the highest level, after it began ejecting hot lava and clouds of ash. Pyroclastic flows were extending about 2 km from Mount Soputan’s summit, but haven’t reached the foot of the mountain.

The authorities placed a 6-km exclusion zone around the volcano. Climbers are not allowed in the danger zone which also covers camping areas in the eastern part of the mountain about 4 km from the summit. According to a report, 6 volcanic earthquakes struck Mount Soputan on June 6.

People from a district in Minahasa look at columns of ash spewed from Mount Soputan, in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province June 6, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“Stronger explosion may happen, which can emit dangerous materials from the crater,” Saut Simatupang, head of Indonesia’s Vulcanology Survey said.

The volcano has been erupting since Friday, spewing ash and debris to a height of about 2 km and covering an 8-km radius area around the crater.

“There is no need to displace the villagers. The frequency of the eruption has decreased since 2 a.m. Saturday,” he said.

Although no casualties have been reported, an eye witness in the village of Molompar in the Tombatu subdistrict in Southeast Minahasa, reported that a number of houses in Lobu, Silian, and Tombatu villages had collapsed as a result of volcanic ash deposits that had accumulated on the roofs.

Mount Soputan, a stratovolcano, is one of Indonesia’s 130 or so active volcanoes, which previously erupted 24–30 October 2007. In a 2004 eruption lava extended its southwest slope, but no fatalities were reported.

Related Links:

• Chaitén’s Fury Ending?
• Volcanoes
• Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China

Related Video:

• Indonesian volcano alert