A 24-hour command post set up for flood watch

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)