City fails to address root problem of flooding

City fails to address root problem of flooding

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Environmentalists say government plans to handle flooding in the
city are incomprehensive as they fail to address environmental
damage as the root of the annual problem.

They said the eviction of squatters from riverbanks around the
city would not stop floods from occurring. Riverbank squatting
plays an insignificant role in the cause of floods compared to
rampant misuse of designated green areas.

Tubagus Haryo Karbiyanto, an environmentalist who deals with
urban and environmental affairs for the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute (LBH Jakarta), said violations of the 2010 city master
plan continue as the government had no clear agenda on protecting
the environment.

He cited as an example the city master plan, which was passed
into a bylaw in 1999. The master plan rules that green areas
should account for 13.94 percent of the city by 2010, but there
has been no action to implement the increase in green areas.

"If the city wants to address the problem of floods, the city
administration should stop environmental damage caused by the
rampant conversion of green space into business areas," Tubagus
told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Tubagus was referring to the construction of business centers
in areas that have experienced flooding, such as Kelapa Gading in
North Jakarta. "If the city cannot stop such a tendency, don't
expect flooding and other environmental problems to be solved,"
Tubagus added.

According to Tubagus, the city master plan, or Bylaw No.
6/1999, provides guidance on how the city can increase its green
areas, which currently only amount to around 9 percent of
Jakarta.

Another important matter requiring attention is the
normalization of upstream areas in Puncak, Bogor, West Java.
Therefore, the city should start talking seriously about the
issue with relevant agencies, including Bogor and West Java
administrations.

Previously, former chairman of the Jakarta branch of the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Ahmad "Puput"
Safruddin said that the 13.95 percent requirement of a city's
territory for green areas is far from the ideal figure of 30
percent.

Puput stressed that adequate green areas in the city would
help the city lessen flooding as the areas would be able to
absorb and retain rainwater and prevent it from flowing directly
into rivers.

According to Puput, the conversion of swampy areas and
mangrove forests, mainly in northern parts of the city,
contributed significantly to flooding in the city as they could
no longer absorb rainwater and hold back sea high tides.

He was referring to the conversion of swampy areas into
residential areas and business centers like Pantai Indah Kapuk in
West Jakarta and Kalapa Gading in North Jakarta.

Puput also criticized the revision of the 1985-2005 city
master plan into the 2010 master plan, saying that it was a ploy
by the city administration to justify violations of the revised
city master plan.

Buildings built on green areas based on the 1985-2005 city
master plan include Hotel Mulia in Senayan, Central Jakarta,
Taman Anggrek Mall and Condominium in Grogol, West Jakarta.

Meanwhile, head of the City Public Works Agency IGKG Suena
stressed that it was unlikely that the city administration would
deal with past violations of the master plan.

"It's unlikely that all those buildings will be demolished as
there is no legal justification. We should not be blamed for any
violations of land use committed long ago," he argued.