Dredging river estuaries can ease next year floods: Nedeco<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
An expert from the Netherlands Engineering Consultants
\n(Nedeco) said that floods in the capital could be eased by up to
\n80 percent next year if the city administration dredged at least
\nfive of its river's estuaries.<\/p>\n
\"The estuaries' sediment that has reached a depth of three
\nmeters significantly contributed to the flood in January and
\nFebruary. Therefore, dredging them is a very important action,\"
\nNedeco hydrologist Gerard Pichel said.<\/p>\n
Pichel was speaking at a workshop on Thursday on the results
\nof the Nedeco's quick reconnaissance flood study.<\/p>\n
\"Dredging the rivers up to 10 kilometers or more from their
\nestuaries should become the first priority for the city
\nadministration,\" Pichel said.<\/p>\n
The rivers and their estuaries that should be dredged include
\nCengkareng Drain, Western Flood Canal, Ciliwung River, Sunter
\nRiver, and Cakung Drain.<\/p>\n
Dredging 10 kilometers of the rivers' estuaries would smooth
\nthe rivers' water flow as sediments in their upper parts would be
\neroded and taken away down the stream, he said.<\/p>\n
Nedeco estimates that the government should spend Rp 510
\nbillion on dredging the five estuaries and 65 kilometers of
\nwaterways as well as cleaning up the other parts.<\/p>\n
According to Nedeco's study, 10,000 hectares of Jakarta were
\nflooded in February at a cost of around Rp 10 trillion.<\/p>\n
\"If the city completed the dredging project before the next
\nrainy season (December), I can guarantee that some 8,000 hectares
\nof the area would not be inundated,\" said Pichel.<\/p>\n
Other Nedeco's recommendations included widening the Manggarai
\ngates, improving the structure bottlenecks, minor detention
\nmeasures, retention reservoirs, and full maintenance and
\nrehabilitation of the drainage system.<\/p>\n
Nedeco, which recommended the construction of the Eastern
\nFlood Canal in 1973, also said that the Indonesian government
\nshould also start long term programs, like river improvements and
\nthe development of the Eastern Flood Canal. It estimates that
\nthis project will cost Rp 5.7 trillion.<\/p>\n
\"If we implement the short-term program, it does not mean that
\nwe stop the long-term program like development of the Eastern
\nFlood Canal,\" Pichel said.<\/p>\n
The construction of the West Canal, 17 kilometers long, was
\ncompleted by the Dutch in 1918. But the width of the channel has
\nbeen narrowed considerably, disrupting the flow of water through
\nit.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Koss Wieriks, an official of the Netherlands'
\nMinistry of Transport Public Work and Water management said that
\nthe changes in land use and changes in the rivers significantly
\ncontributed to the flooding.<\/p>\n
\"The rain (in Jakarta) is falling in more or less the same
\nintensity as hundreds of years ago. But changes in the land use
\nand changes in the rivers have caused higher levels of the run-
\noff of the rainwater,\" he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dredging-river-estuaries-can-ease-next-year-floods-nedeco-1447893297",
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