Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta is expected to see continued torrential rain throughout the rest of this week. Authorities warned that the continuous rain could result in further flooding and landslides.
The country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that the monsoon will primarily hit the Indonesian capital again Tuesday - with scattered, moderate and heavy rain throughout the rest of the week.
"The intensity will weaken but could intensify into moderate to heavy Feb. 23 and Feb. 24," BMKG's chief Dwikorita Karnawati said in a statement.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that the rain was expected to cause some rivers to overflow. The water is expected to reach residential areas.
The heavy rain, which had started over the weekend, has claimed the lives of at least five people. Four of those were children swept away in rivers currents. The other was a 67-year-old woman trapped inside her home in South Jakarta.
As of Tuesday, more than 1,700 people living in flood and landslide-prone areas have asked to leave. Authorities said some of those had returned home to recover belongings. Authorities said residents could be asked to leave again if the situation gets worse.
"The government will remain vigilant because the BMKG predicted that there was a chance of more extreme rainfall like what happened Saturday and Sunday," officials said.
Jakarta's drainage system was overwhelmed. Main streets and toll roads in the city were submerged up to 70 centimeters.
"My neighborhood has never flooded before. I have lived here since I was 5 years old but Saturday it was submerged," one resident said.
The rain and flooding caused a massive traffic jams. Several vehicles were also submerged. Authorities expect the continued rain to do further damage throughout the rest of the week.
