A 24-hour command post set up for flood watch

JAKARTA (JP): The administration deems a 24-hour flood watch system necessary to monitor flooding during the coming rainy season because Jakarta still has 80 inundation trouble spots.

Head of the Jakarta Office of the Public Works Ministry Dargono Danuprawiro announced yesterday his office has established a 24-hour flood watch command post in cooperation with the Ciliwung-Cisadane River Development Project.

"The post, which officially opened on Oct. 1, will be effective until March next year, when the rainy season is expected to stop," he said.

"Funding is one of the constraints we are facing in eliminating floods from the city," he said.

"Due to the shortage of funds we could only raise the level of Jl. Yos Sudarso, North Jakarta, by 15 centimeters, instead of the 40 centimeters required to protect it entirely from flooding," he complained.

He explained that 20 of the 80 flood prone locations are to be found in the "western stream section" of the capital. Among these flood sites are the IKPN complex in South Jakarta, Palmerah in West Jakarta and Teluk Gong in North Jakarta. A total of 25 locations are in the "central stream section" of the city. These include the Pertamina housing complex in South Jakarta, Jati Petamburan in Central Jakarta, Taman Sari in West Jakarta and Jembatan II in North Jakarta.

The remaining 35 are located in the "eastern stream section" and include Cipinang Rambutatn in East Jakarta, Jl. Bungur in Central Jakarta and Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta.

Dargono said that the flood control project at Suntur Timur I in the eastern stream section has been completed. The three suction pumps to be operated in Sunter Timur I are expected to protect 7.1 hectare area close to marine complex in North Jakarta from flooding. The pumps can each displace 1.34 cubic meters of flood water per second.

The Sunter Timur III flood control project, which is underway, is scheduled for completion in January next year.

The Sunter Timur III flood control system is designed to prevent flooding in a 750 hectare area in Rawa Badak and Koja Utara, also in North Jakarta.

"The Ancol pump house, under construction, will have a capacity of 15 cubic meters per second. It is designed to handle floods in an area of 635 hectares, including Pademangan Timur and Pademangan Barat," Dargono said. The construction is expected to be completed in November next year.

Another project designed to prevent flooding is the dredging work at the Pluit dam in North Jakarta, which is to be completed in March next year. Some 300 cubic meters of garbage is dumped into the dam every day, he said. (yns)