Public participation needed<\/p>\n
Flooding continues to pose a danger to Jakarta because the
\ncity administration has yet to find a way to deal with the
\nproblem. However, flooding is not the problem of the Jakarta
\nadministration alone; it is also a problem for the citizenry.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, when floods occur the victims are mostly
\ncitizens who, for financial reasons, have no other choice but to
\nlive in areas vulnerable to flooding. The city administration,
\ndespite its weaknesses, has been working to prevent flooding in
\nthe capital through the implementation of various programs, many
\nof which require public involvement.<\/p>\n
Regrettably, these efforts have yet to bear fruit. The appeal
\nto residents not to dump their garbage in the city's rivers or on
\nthe streets has not been successful. A gubernatorial decree
\nmaking littering illegal has failed. And with these failed
\nefforts, the dream of having clean rivers traversing the city
\nremains just a dream.<\/p>\n
It is clear that garbage dumped by residents into neighborhood
\ndrains and sewers has severely polluted Jakarta's rivers and
\nlarger waterways. And the administration's repeated warnings of
\nthe dangers posed to the flood control system by the careless
\ndumping of waste have been useless.<\/p>\n
Many sluice gates are clogged with garbage, endangering the
\nwhole flood control system. Another part of the system that has
\nsuffered from the dumping of garbage into rivers is the pump
\nstations. Many of the pumps have been damaged after garbage was
\nsucked up into them, shortening their life spans and putting
\npressure on maintenance teams.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian capital has numerous pump stations, some of
\nwhich were built more than 20 years ago. However, many of them
\nare not operating because of age and, possibly, poor maintenance.
\nEarlier this month, President Megawati Soekarnoputri officiated
\nthe reopening of five pump stations in South, Central, West and
\nNorth Jakarta. These stations have the capacity to prevent
\nthousands of hectares of land from being flooded.<\/p>\n
But repairing old pump stations alone will not stop flooding
\nin the capital. Minister of Resettlement and Regional
\nInfrastructure Sunarno acknowledged that an integrated and
\nstrategic program was needed to deal with flooding, and that part
\nof such a program needed to be the construction of the Eastern
\nFlood Canal, which is still in the planning stages.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the Jakarta administration is having trouble
\nmoving ahead with this project because of the amount of
\ncompensation being demanded by those residents whose property is
\nneeded for the canal.<\/p>\n
The compensation being offered by the city is based on the
\nvalue of the land according to the property tax the residents
\npay, which is officially Rp 600,000 per square meter in the area
\nin question. In reality, however, the price of the land is much
\nhigher. This is why property owners want the city to pay more
\nmoney for their land, which is the only asset of value many of
\nthese people posses. In the meantime, construction of the flood
\ncanal continues to be delayed.<\/p>\n
While waiting for the canal project to commence, the repair of
\npump stations is a helpful measure. Still, it is clear that
\npublic participation is necessary in the effort to stop flooding.
\nUnfortunately, the continued use of rivers as dumps by residents,
\nand their refusal to accept the compensation being offered to
\nthem by the city for their land, are indicative of the public's
\nresistance to the administration's initiatives.<\/p>\n
A better plan must therefore be devised in order to find a
\nwin-win solution that will allow for public participation and
\nenable the government to carry out its public service programs on
\nschedule.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/public-participation-needed-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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