In Jakarta’s Flood Fight, Rp 2.3 Trillion to ‘Normalize’ Rivers

April 07, 2012


With significant flooding in the capital again this week, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling the problem, highlighting the Rp 2.3 trillion ($250 million) it has earmarked to normalize the flow of three key rivers running through Jakarta.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Thursday that the funds would be used to dredge the Pesanggrahan, Angke and Sunter rivers.

Sutopo said funding was spread over four years from 2011, with dredging and the clearing of riverbanks being conducted jointly by the Public Works Ministry and the Jakarta government.

“It is hoped that with the normalization work, the rivers’ debit capacity will increase fourfold from the current level,” he said.

Sutopo said currently, efforts are focused on the Pesanggrahan and Angke rivers.

“The success of these normalization works will really depend on the participation of residents and the business world. A lot of people are living along the banks of the rivers … [and] we need to free the land altogether to allow the flood-prevention programs to be successful,” Sutopo said.

On Thursday, the floods that hit several areas earlier this week begun to recede, said Arfan Arkilie, the head of the Jakarta disaster mitigation agency, but water remained some 80 centimeters deep in two neighborhoods.

There were only about 410 people still lodging at temporary shelters in the Rawa Buaya area of West Jakarta, he said.

“At present, there are only two urban wards — Rawa Buaya and Duri Kosambi— where there are still inundations, while everywhere else the water has receded,” Sutopo said.

He said that in coordination with the capital’s Public Works Office, pumps would be installed in Rawa Buaya to clear the water.

Meanwhile, officials in Jakarta are claiming that there are already several technical and non-technical activities planned to prevent future flooding.

Jakarta government spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia said the steps have been included in the 2011-30 zoning master plan for the city and its surroundings.

Measures include repairs on micro channels and watergates, and the construction of water absorption wells and mud dams.

Cucu said the government is in the process of building two reservoirs in Kampung Pulo and Pondok Labu, in East and South Jakarta respectively. The city is also undertaking the Jakarta Emergency Dredging Initiative to dredge 13 rivers that pass through the capital region, to bolster their capacity to channel water to the sea.

Cucu said the Jakarta government had, since 2008, put work in at 78 flood-prone sites, and had already completed flood mitigation projects at 16 of those locations.

(x the JG)

Are Lakes An Answer To Jakarta Flooding?


April 07, 2012

Hidayat Nur Wahid, a Prosperous Justice Party politician running for governor of Jakarta, says he has a solution to the annual floods that paralyze the city: lakes.

Lakes in nearby Bogor and Depok can help absorb some of the water that runs into Jakarta after it rains, the PKS politician told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. But they need to be cleaned up, he added.

“These lakes will take some of the water, cutting down the amount flowing into Jakarta,” he said. “But we can’t do it alone. We must cooperate with the Bogor and Depok administrations.”

If elected in July, Hidayat plans to ask mayors and district heads in nearby areas to make use of existing lakes and to create new ones.

Jakarta’s flood problems are caused partly by water flowing from Bogor and Depok, two areas bordering the capital.

In addition to reducing the water pouring into Jakarta, the cleaned-up lakes could become tourism attractions, sites to process drinking water and as water sources for farms, Hidayat said.

The former speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) said Jakarta also had to use its own lakes to help alleviate flooding.

“Out of 48 lakes in Jakarta, only 13 are healthy,” he said, adding that the rest are very shallow or have become dump sites.

He said the shallow lakes needed to be dredged and the others cleared of garbage, so they could return to holding water.

“Jakarta’s rivers are also narrow and shallow, causing water to overflow to residential areas and streets,” he said. “We must dredge them immediately.”

He criticized the city’s current administration for failing to check the construction of housing complexes and office buildings.

“Permits for new construction have limited the areas to catch water and absorb rain,” he said. “In the future, we must stop giving out permits for buildings that can then cause flooding.”

The (PKS), which has the most seats on the City Council, has tapped Didik J. Rachbini, a senior politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN), to run with Hidayat in Jakarta’s gubernatorial election on July 11.

They plan to invite residents living along rivers to discuss possible solutions to the flood problem. “The current city administration has let them live along the riverbanks, causing rivers to become more narrow and shallow,” Hidayat said. “The solution is not to kick the residents out, but to ask them to hold a dialogue to find an acceptable solution.”

He also pledge to provide garbage cans along the riverbanks so residents would stop throwing their trash into the river.


(also x the JG)