Jakarta – The Indonesian capital has been hit by floods again due to clogged drainage channels.

Residents in southern Jakarta complained that their homes were deluged due to the poor condition of drainage channels following the major floods that hit the city in January and February.

One of them, Mr Rukyana, said the area was always inundated even if it rained for a short time. "The area is now easily inundated as most of the drains here were damaged during the big flood," he complained.

Rain that fell for several hours on Sunday night resulted in the Pesangrahan river overflowing its banks, causing floods in some areas of south Jakarta on Monday. One of the worst affected areas was Cipulir, where the flood waters reached up to one metre.

Another resident, Ms Kalalo, said that the river has been full of garbage after the earlier floods. "No wonder it overflows its banks after the rain."

The latest flooding caused severe traffic jams in the area. Most people who had to pass through Jalan Ciledug Raya in Cipulir failed to get to work on time due to the congestion.

The flooding was unexpected as the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) had earlier announced that the dry season would begin in Jakarta in March, or two months earlier than usual.

A Jakarta Public Works Agency official said that the Pesangrahan river and two other rivers which also overflowed on Monday had not been included in the city's post-flood drainage programme.