Part of the terminal 3 area of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport flooded on Tuesday 21st December.
Senior Manager of Branch Communication and Legal at Soekarno-Hatta Airport M. Holik Muardi said that the flood occurred in the loading dock area rather than the passenger area. The flooding was caused by drainage disturbances in the surrounding area, hence the water channel was blocked and eventually overflowed.
Holik said that the 40cm-deep pool occurred at around 3pm after heavy rainfall occurred at 1pm. After puddles of water began to submerge the loading dock area, his team immediately carried out desludging and the water receded in no more than 30 minutes.
“We have carried out the suction with the help of a mobile pump with a capacity of 4,000 litres per minute to suck all of the water,” he said.
The puddle did not interfere with flight operations. According to Holik, the highest inundation only occurred in the loading dock area which is only used by employees to enter the terminal 3 area.
“It’s a bit underground. Indeed, the loading dock itself is one of the lowest areas in Terminal 3,” he added.
His team will now conduct an evaluation after the loading dock area flood and will prepare mitigation measures for the future.
Water also inundated some of the routes to terminals 1 and 2 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after heavy rainfall. Traffic jams occurred for a while because vehicles had to run slowly due to puddles of water.
Heavy rains have fallen in a number of areas around Jabodetabek in recent days. Several areas experienced flooding.
On Monday 20th December, a flood occurred under the JORR Meruya toll exit, Kembangan, West Jakarta, reaching a height of one metre at around 6pm. Furthermore, Jalan Kemang Raya in South Jakarta was flooded to a height of about 40 centimetres due to the Krukut River overflowing.