The surges of muddy polluted water, which rose to a depth of four metres (13ft) in places, stranded many other residents in the upper floors of their houses with no access to fresh water and electricity after supplies were cut off.

Officials said the deluge, the worst since 2002 when 40 people were killed, had affected as much as 40% of the city. It came after days of torrential rain, and weathermen offer little hope of respite from the downpours for another two weeks.

Rescuers used everything from rubber dinghies to horse-drawn carts in an effort to get those stranded by the rising waters to safety, though some refused to leave in order to protect their belongings.

In some neighbourhoods army helicopters dropped supplies, while medical teams in boats were dispatched to the worst effected areas to treat the ill and injured. Two hospitals had to move patients to the safety of upper floors.

But angry residents criticised the city’s lack of preparation for the flooding, which - though not on such a huge scale - occurs nearly every year.

Many families were forced to find their own way to safety using any means at their disposal. Some used makeshift rafts while others had no choice but to wade through the filthy chest-high waters leading to fears of infection in the city already suffering a dengue fever outbreak.

Police said that those killed since the torrential rains began falling last Wednesday had either been sucked under by powerful currents, electrocuted when they came in contact with live electricity lines or had fallen ill.

Jakarta’s wealthier residents from effected suburbs checked into hotels across the city of 10m people, but in one area those less well-off were forced to seek refuge in a cemetery.

The floodwaters forced the closure of a number of key roads running through the city, which was built on a swamp and is low-lying, while rail services were cancelled or delayed making it impossible for many to get to work.

Ian MacKinnon, south-east Asia correspondent