Awaiting the Completion of Ciliwung River Normalisation in 2029

The government is continuing the normalisation of the Ciliwung River in Jakarta. Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) stated that the normalisation of the 33-kilometre river has reached 52 per cent, with 17 kilometres completed. “The remaining 16 kilometres, I hope can be carried out progressively, hopefully without any expanding obstacles,” AHY said during an inspection of the Ciliwung River on Thursday (7/5/2026). “But of course there are several factors, dynamics and others, so this is delayed, 2028-2029. So it can be said that we are focusing on the next two years to complete it,” AHY added. AHY also stated that the condition of rivers in Indonesia is critical. “Our rivers are critical,” AHY said. This is because, based on the river inspection he conducted with Deputy Minister of Public Works Diana Kusumastuti, AHY directly observed the Ciliwung River filled with rubbish. Meanwhile, due to shallowing, dredging of river sedimentation by 20 to 50 centimetres is required. Then, land acquisition for riverbank areas from illegal buildings is needed. “Earlier, the width was approximately 15-25 metres, whereas it only holds about 200 cubic metres per second. This is 35-50 metres wide so it can hold 570 cubic metres per second, we widen it, how can we then work together with everyone including monitoring heavy equipment that can help quickly with the normalisation efforts,” he said. Diana Kusumastuti stated that one of the obstacles causing the delay in the Ciliwung River normalisation target is land acquisition by the Jakarta Provincial Government. However, the Ministry of Public Works and the Jakarta Provincial Government have retargeted the land acquisition for the 16-kilometre riverbank to be completed in 2027. Previously, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said that the Jakarta Provincial Government has prepared a budget of Rp 232 billion for land acquisition for the Ciliwung River normalisation in two sub-districts.