Public must be told of delay on eastern canal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Officials must tell the public if they will
\ndelay the long-awaited eastern canal project, the spokesman for
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Lukman F. Mokoginta said the administration should be
\ntransparent and informative about any projects.<\/p>\n
Many people, whose property would be affected by the 28-
\nkilometer eastern canal project, were anxious to know about the
\ncontinuation of the project and their possible evacuation.<\/p>\n
"Don't let them wait unnecessarily," Lukman said.<\/p>\n
The head of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers improvement
\nproject under the Ministry of Public Works, Siswoko, said
\nWednesday the Ministry and the municipality were still re-
\nevaluating whether the project, first planned in 1973, would
\ncontinue or not.<\/p>\n
In 1973, the government planned to build the western flood
\ncanal for the western flood control system and the eastern flood
\ncanal to protect the east of the city from worse flooding.<\/p>\n
Referring to recent protests on land appropriation, Siswoko
\nsaid yesterday that the re-evaluation was intended to reduce the
\ncost and social impact.<\/p>\n
Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar had said earlier the
\ngovernment halted the project for financial reasons.<\/p>\n
"The project needed some Rp 1 trillion (US$417.54) just for
\nland appropriation," he added.<\/p>\n
Loans and other foreign funding did not include compensation
\nfor relocating residents.<\/p>\n
Tunnel<\/p>\n
The possible delay of the eastern canal project was revealed
\nby Siswoko Thursday who said that next year the administration
\nmight start the construction of a 20-meter deep tunnel connecting
\nthe Ciliwung river in Jakarta and the Cisadane river in Bogor,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
The one-kilometer tunnel, which would be a part of the western
\nflood control system, is believed unlikely to spark social unrest
\ncaused by land appropriation.<\/p>\n
The tunnel project was given priority after last year's flood
\nkilled at least 30 people and led to losses of at least Rp 90
\nbillion. The floods were blamed on several factors, including the
\nuncompleted state of the eastern canal. The canal led to the
\noverflow of the Cipinang river.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Lukman urged the municipality to include the
\neastern flood canal plan, or an alternative plan, in the new
\nurban plan for the 1985-2005 period, now under review.<\/p>\n
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said the review was needed because
\nthe administration realized the current plan was no longer
\nappropriate given Jakarta's rapid development.<\/p>\n
The deputy governor for economic and development affairs, Tb.
\nM. Rais, said the review was needed to keep abreast of
\ndevelopment in the future.<\/p>\n
He said the new plans would take the city's flood conditions
\ninto account and it would be dangerous not to match city planning
\nwith the city's water condition.<\/p>\n
The water condition in the city has worsened because of
\ndevelopment and the only way to cope with the problem is bringing
\nenvironmental conditions into the equation, he said. (ste)<\/p>",
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