Angke River Embankment in Rawa Buaya Collapses, One House Destroyed

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Angke River embankment, which directly borders a residential area on Jalan Carirna Sayang, Rawa Buaya, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, collapsed on Thursday (26/3/2026). The concrete sheet pile wall, approximately 10 metres long, fell into the river flow, accompanied by a landslide of soil at the riverbank, leaving a steep cliff as well as exposed rocks and tree trunks used to hold the soil. Kompas.com observations at the site showed that foundation stones and support poles for the embankment also toppled and entered the water. In the murky river flow, a brown long sofa was seen submerged along with several pieces of furniture, rubble, and piles of rubbish. Several personnel from the West Jakarta Water Resources Sub-Department were carrying out manual cleaning and embankment repairs. Dian, one of the nearby residents, stated that the embankment wall had actually shown signs of damage for a long time. “As far as I know, from the beginning, the wall on this side and that side was already cracked,” said Dian when met at the location on Thursday. The cracks in the embankment widened over time due to the frequent flooding in the area. Dian said she had noticed the cracks becoming more spaced out a few days after entering the fasting month. “Then, with frequent flooding, the cracks got bigger. About two days after fasting, I think, when I checked, the wall’s cracks were even more spaced,” she said. “So, a week before Eid, it collapsed. Everything collapsed, the wall into the water there. There was originally one house to live in, it collapsed too,” Dian added. Although the cracks did not occur along the entire embankment, this collapse incident has made local residents anxious. They are worried that river water overflow could flood the settlements if the embankment is not repaired soon.