54 Families in Kapuk Affected by Relocation for Flood Prevention Pump House Construction
Jakarta (ANTARA) — As many as 54 households (KK) occupying 31 buildings in the Kapuk area of Cengkareng, West Jakarta, will be affected by relocation for the construction of a pump house as part of flood mitigation efforts.
West Jakarta Mayor Iin Mutmainnah said the authorities had carried out phased socialisation regarding the maturation of the relocation plan.
“Based on the latest verification conducted by the Kapuk Urban Village, there are around 54 households occupying 31 buildings at the construction site,” Iin said when contacted in Jakarta on Monday.
Iin noted that the pump infrastructure is a strategic step to address the flooding that has plagued the Kapuk area and its surroundings for years.
“We want West Jakarta to be free of floods. However, dredging the river with heavy equipment cannot be carried out optimally in this area because it risks causing residents’ houses to slide,” Iin said.
According to Iin, the West Jakarta municipal government, together with the Jakarta Water Resources Agency (SDA) and the Jakarta Housing Agency, continues to coordinate so that all affected residents can obtain decent accommodation in rental simple flats (Rusunawa).
The government is also pursuing a dispensation policy in the form of a waiver of flat rental fees for the first six months.
“In addition to providing housing, the government is preparing various forms of support so that the relocation process does not disrupt people’s lives,” she said.
In the field of education, residents’ children will be facilitated in transferring to the nearest state schools around the flats so they can continue to receive free education services.
“Then, health services are also being provided through health examinations by community health centre (Puskesmas) teams for elderly residents and those who are ill,” Iin added.
To improve economic welfare, the Manpower Agency and the Regional Job Training Centre (PPKD) will bring a Mobile Training Unit (MTU) to the flats area.
Certified skills training, such as sewing, catering, automotive work, and financial administration, will be provided to residents of productive age.
“We will also help with the process of moving residents’ belongings to the flats through the support of joint officers from the urban village and district offices,” she explained.
She expressed hope that the flood disaster mitigation process can proceed hand in hand with improvements to the quality of life of residents being moved to safer, more comfortable, and more decent housing.
Meanwhile, Satrio, staff member for the flood sector at the Jakarta SDA Agency, explained that the pump house to be built in Kapuk is designed to have a pumping capacity of 12,000 litres per second to speed up water drainage during periods of high rainfall.
Satrio said this regional strategic project is scheduled to be implemented in phases between 2025 and 2027.
“The physical construction on the ground will begin gradually once the entire relocation process and the arrangement of residents into the Rusunawa have been completed,” he concluded.