Shanties obstruct flood control plan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 5,000 shanties built along riverbanks
\nfrom North to South Jakarta are obstructing the city's flood
\ncontrol program, officials of the Ministry of Public Works said.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono, the ministry's director general of water resources
\ndevelopment, said yesterday this was the dilemma faced in flood
\ncontrol projects.<\/p>\n
\"I am very concerned about this,\" Soeparmono said. \"Each shack
\nhas at least three inhabitants,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The project is crucial in curbing floods, \"but maybe the
\nmunicipality is also worried that if it removes thousands of
\nshanties, some 10,000 more people will come\".<\/p>\n
The directorate general and the municipality plan to meet this
\nweek to coordinate the project, another official who requested
\nanonymity said.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono said the shacks were in Muara Angke, North Jakarta
\nto Karet and South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Siswoko, head of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers improvement
\nprojects, said that of the 5,615 homes, 4,500 are in North
\nJakarta alone.<\/p>\n
The officials said they had received Rp 21 billion to start
\nthe project but this is only for construction. The funds do not
\ninclude removing shacks from riverbanks.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono said the problem in Kampung Melayu, one of the
\naffected areas, is even more complex as the homes cannot be
\ncategorized as illegal.<\/p>\n
\"We found residents had building permits and paid annual
\nproperty tax,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono urged the municipality and other local
\nadministrations to step up supervision in their areas to prevent
\nbuilding both along riverbanks and in water catchment areas.<\/p>\n
He said authorities should also enforce a presidential decree
\non guarding water catchment areas along the Ciliwung and Cisadane
\nrivers in the whole river basin area.<\/p>\n
Following last year's floods, central government authorities
\n from the National Development Planning Board, the state
\nenvironment office and the Attorney General's Office have stated
\ntheir support for the local governments of Bogor and Cianjur,
\nLast year, uncontrolled development of villas and homes in the
\nmountain resort around Puncak were blamed as the main cause of
\nthe floods which killed at least 30 people here.<\/p>\n
However, Soeparmono said the middle part of the river basin
\nfrom Bogor to Ciputat still lacked enforcement.<\/p>\n
Efforts by the Ministry of Public Works and other related
\noffices, he said, succeeded in reducing the city's 95 flood-prone
\nspots to 65 last year.<\/p>\n
Enforcement is urgent, Soeparmono said, given an expected
\nacute water shortage in Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not only urging authorities in Greater Jakarta, but also
\nthose in other areas in Java.<\/p>\n
\"A person needs at least 2,000 cubic meters of water a year to
\nenable him to eat enough rice and have a nutritious meal every
\nday,\" he said, adding that it excludes sanitation needs such as
\nbathing and washing.<\/p>\n
\"The supply of water here is barely enough for minimum needs,\"
\nSoeparmono said.<\/p>\n
He said the question must be raised as to how long development
\nmust continue in Greater Jakarta and other areas in Java given
\nits limited resources.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, development in Greater Jakarta goes on as if it
\nhas no limits. We must seriously question how we can spread
\ngrowth outside Jakarta, where people still crowd like insects to
\na lamp,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono warned that water would be in short supply in
\nAugust or September.<\/p>\n
Lakes, among water catchments areas here, \"are in very poor
\ncondition\", he said.<\/p>\n
Soeparmono also warned travelers that many areas along Java's
\nnorth coast are prone to floods, because many water catchment
\nareas have been developed into residential areas and office
\nspace.<\/p>\n
Problem areas from West to East Java include Indramayu, Tegal,
\nPemalang, Kendal and areas further up the Bengawan Solo river, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"However we have 24-hour flood watch centers which will alarm
\nlocal authorities,\" Soeparmono said. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/shanties-obstruct-flood-control-plan-1447893297",
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