Ciliwung-Cisadane tunnel to go ahead: Minister
JAKARTA (JP): The construction of a one-kilometer tunnel connecting the upstream sections of Ciliwung River and Cisadane River in Bogor, West Java, will proceed as scheduled despite the current monetary crisis, according to the Ministry of Public Works.
The head of the Ciliwung and Cisadane Rivers Improvement Project, Siswoko, said the tunnel, which will be located 20 meters below the ground, was considered one of the government's top priorities.
"The project is needed to prevent overflowing of Ciliwung River, which usually inundates Greater Jakarta with water," Siswoko told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
An Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) loan, which has already been received by Siswoko's office, will be used to fund the tunnel project. He declined to disclose the value of the loan.
"The amount is not important," he said. "The most important matter is that we will go ahead with the project."
Funds for the project can only be accounted for after its design is completed, he said.
Under the plan, the tunnel will have a diameter of eight meters. Running underneath Bogor, the tunnel would help divert some of Ciliwung's water flow to Cisadane.
Siswoko said that the ministry was still in the process of selecting consultants to finalize the project's design. It will require both local and foreign consultants.
He said that the project's feasibility study was completed in March and its design was expected to be finalized within 12 months.
"After completing the design, we hope that construction could be started in mid 1999 and finished within three years," Siswoko said.
The tunnel is part of the 1973 Western Flood Control Project package designed to protect the western part of the city from a repetition of last year's floods, which claimed at least 30 lives and caused at least Rp 90 billion (US$30.1 million) in damage.
The floods have emphasized the fragile state of Ciliwung River and the poor condition of some canals along the western flood control area.
No dispute
Unlike other projects, the tunnel's construction would spark no social unrest from local people because there are no land disputes.
According to the ministry's director general of water resources, Soeparmono, the flood control program for Jakarta did have to deal with the dilemma of land appropriation.
The ministry had to demolish more than 5,000 homes, mostly shacks, before starting the project, which included river bank improvements, Siswoko said.
Loans and other foreign funding did not include compensation for the residents, he said.
According to Siswoko, most flood control projects depend on government funds and foreign loans. Private investors were rarely interested in funding such unprofitable projects.
"(These projects) are constructed purely for the benefit of the public," Siswoko said. "So, it's difficult to invite private investors into such a project." (ste)