By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Stanley Widianto
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Thursday after flash floods and landslides killed up to 26 people amid some of the heaviest rain in more than 20 years, with more deluges forecast, authorities said.
The flooding, among the deadliest in years, caused chaos in parts of Southeast Asia's biggest city with train lines blocked and power outages in some areas. Swathes of Jakarta and nearby towns were inundated after heavy rain fell on Dec. 31 and into the early hours of New Year's Day.
Social affairs ministry data showed 26 people were killed in the flooding, up from the earlier toll of 21.
As of Thursday morning, over 62,000 people were evacuated in Jakarta alone, disaster mitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said, although later in the day he told news channel Metro TV the number of evacuees were down to around 35,000 people.
Rainfall at an airport in East Jakarta measured at 377 millimeters (15 inches) early on Jan. 1, the highest daily reading during major floods since at least 1996, according to the Meteorology, Clilmatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
Umar Dani, 52, and his family were evacuated overnight from his home in East Jakarta on a rubber boat after water levels rose up to his neck.
"It has not flooded for so long here. We didn't have the chance to bring anything," he said.
"I have to live on the streets now."
President Joko Widodo told reporters evacuation and safety measures should be prioritized and called for more coordination between city administrations and the central government.
On his Twitter page, Widodo blamed delays in flood control infrastructure projects for the flooding. He said some projects have been delayed since 2017 due to land acquisition problems.
"EXTREME WEATHER" EXPECTED
Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan said authorities deployed hundreds of pumps to suck water from residential areas across the capital, which had allowed some people to return home.
"They want to return home immediately and start cleaning up their houses as soon as they are able to enter their houses as water recedes," Baswedan told reporters during a visit to a densely populated area in East Jakarta affected by the flood.
Residents waddled through murky water to see the governor while workers pumped water out of the area into a nearby river.
The mitigation agency said on its Twitter page that water levels have come down in a few affected areas, showing pictures of streets covered by mud and littered with debris.
Authorities however warned people to remain vigilant as "extreme weather" is expected to continue until Jan. 7.
Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), told reporters separately that heavy rainfall may continue until mid February.
Television footage on Thursday showed rescuers in the nearby city of Tangerang evacuating residents, guiding them across a strong current by holding on to a rope.
Jakarta and its surroundings are home to more than 30 million people. More than 50 people died in one of the capital’s deadliest floods in 2007 and five years ago much of the centre of the city was inundated after canals overflowed.
The government announced last year that it is relocating the capital to East Kalimantan province on Borneo, though the planning ministry pledged that the government will invest $40 billion in modernizing Jakarta.