Water catchment rule hard to uphold<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has found it difficult
\nto keep South Jakarta as the city's water catchment area because
\nthe government's rules on housing development do not support the
\npolicy.<\/p>\n
The regulations require residents to set aside up to 80
\npercent of their land as open space to allow water to seep into
\nthe ground.<\/p>\n
During a fact-finding visit yesterday, city councilors found
\nthat many people had limited plots of land so that they cannot
\nearmark more than half of their land for a garden as required.<\/p>\n
M. Aman, Chairman of the council's commission A, which
\noversees government affairs, told reporters that heavy population
\npressure had made it difficult to preserve the area as a water
\ncatchment zone.<\/p>\n
\"Many people have very small plots of land and we understand
\nthat they have no choice but to use almost all of it to build,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
As a water catchment area, housing development in South
\nJakarta has been strictly regulated. The area is supposed to
\n\"catch\" water from \"rain town\" Bogor and its surrounding
\nregencies.<\/p>\n
In certain areas, such as the Jagakarsa subdistrict, the city
\nadministration allows residents to build on only 20 percent of
\ntheir plots of land.<\/p>\n
Aman said that many people had only 100 square meters of land
\nand that, if the regulation were to be strictly enforced, they
\nwould only be able to build on an area of 20 square meters.<\/p>\n
\"That is a problem. If the government was strict about the
\nregulation, people would ask why they are not allowed to build
\nbigger house on their own land,\" Aman said.<\/p>\n
Aman said the mayoralty had two proposals for the overcoming
\nof the problem but that both should be carefully analyzed before
\nbeing put into practice.<\/p>\n
First, he said, the city administration could designate
\ncertain open places as water catchment areas and allow
\nunrestricted building elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\"The water catchment area would be controlled and financed by
\nthe city administration and could be used as parkland or sports
\nfields,\" Aman said.<\/p>\n
The second idea, Aman said, was that people be allowed to
\nbuild on more than 20 percent of their land but would be required
\nto build elevated houses so that the land underneath could still
\ncatch water.<\/p>\n
Aman said the commission had recommended that an in-depth
\nstudy be carried out before the mayoralty implemented either of
\nthe two proposals, given that the city administration's budget
\nwas not sufficient to carry out the first proposal.<\/p>\n
He said the mayoralty should also find out whether elevated
\nhouses were acceptable to the residents, since such raised houses
\nmight be considered an oddity in Jakarta. (yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/water-catchment-rule-hard-to-uphold-1447893297",
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