990 families to lose homes on riverbanks after holiday

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The North Jakarta administration plans to send squatters living on the riverbanks in its jurisdiction elsewhere, as it holds them responsible for annual floods in the city.

"We may clear the riverbanks after the Idul Fitri holiday," Mayor Effendi Anas said at City Hall on Monday, without mentioning an exact date.

Idul Fitri is on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15.

Effendi said that more than 990 families would be affected by the evictions on the southern and northern sides of Kali Angke River and Lagoa Tirem River, part of the West Flood Canal.

He added that squatters who had obtained Jakarta identity cards and have valid ownership documents of the land they live on, would receive compensation. "Or, they will be relocated to low-cost apartments provided later by the administration," Effendi said.

However, Effendi acknowledged that his office did not know what to do with those who were not registered Jakartans.

"That is beyond my authority", he said, adding that he would ask the Ministry of Public Works to assist in finding a solution.

According to him, the eviction is part of efforts to retain the previous function of the rivers under the West Flood Canal system that was put in place during the Dutch occupation in order to ease floods in the western part of the city.

"In the past, the Kali Angke River, for example, was between 40 meters and 60 meters in width, but currently, most parts of it are only five to 10 meters wide," he said.

Besides the West Flood Canal, Jakarta plans to build the East Flood Canal to control the flooding of five rivers in the eastern part of the city, but it has hit a snag mostly due to problems in land acquisition.

Last year, the Jakarta administration evicted at least 7,000 families while clearing up the West Flood Canal, the Kali Angke River in West and North Jakarta, and the Pluit Dam in North Jakarta.

In 2002, the municipality evicted 700 families who lived on the banks of other parts of the Kali Angke River in Kapuk Muara subdistrict.

Aside from the eviction of squatters in those three locations, the municipality will also clear the banks of Kresek River from squatters as requested by Tanjung Priok operator Pelindo II.

"The request is in line with an international regulation that requires the port operator to clean up the area," Effendi remarked.