Flood control solutions are expensive, but the cost of inaction is far greater.
Jakarta has faced large-scale severe flooding repeatedly over the past three decades, most recently in 2020. The 2007 floods were the worst to date, with inundation in some parts of the capital reaching five metres. Dozens died, thousands were displaced, and the city was paralysed for days, suffering a damage bill that reached an estimated 5.2 trillion IDR or US$400 million.
And the rate of flooding is occurring more frequently, in Jakarta and elsewhere.
