JAKARTA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains and high tides through the whole week hit Indonesia and paralyzed several parts of the country, including the capital Jakarta, local media reported Wednesday.

    Some parts of Jakarta were inundated with a water level from 15cm to 50 cm high, causing puddles on more than 30 main streets and heavy traffic jams.

    An official at the Jakarta Public Works Agency said that the city's clogged sewerage and water ways were the major cause of traffic in the city when monsoon rain led to an inconvenience for more than 12 million inhabitants of the city.

    "The garbage causes both micro and macro-drainage systems in the city to only be able to perform at 50 to 70 percent of their capacities," the Jakarta Post daily on Wednesday quoted head of the agency Budi Widiantoro as saying.

    Particularly in the north part of the city, main streets were submerged due to the recent high tides and basin-surfaced area such in Muara Baru, which suffered 40 cm high-leveled water. Puddles were found in some areas, mostly in North Jakarta, such as Ancol, Jl. RE Martadinata, East Kelapa Gading and Teluk Gong.

    Meanwhile, in South Denpasar, flood water submerged several areas of rice fields and caused more than 1,000 families unsheltered for a few days. The Indonesian government distributed food rations, including rice, instant noodles and canned foods.