East Flood Canal no panacea: BPPT hydologist

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Building the East Flood Canal is unlikely to completely solve Jakarta's flood problems, but would lessen it, says Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a hydrologist at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

"The planned canal will only prevent flooding in the immediate areas near it. But many areas in Jakarta still will be affected by floods," he said.

Forty percent of the 63,744-hectare metropolis is technically below sea level. As a consequence, even without residential and industrial activities, Jakarta is prone to flooding. In addition, over the years, dubious building activities have decreased Jakarta's water catchment areas, making the flood problems worse.

To manage the flooding, previous administrations here have built canals and dams. For example, the West Canal was built in 1922 by the Dutch colonial administration. The East Flood Canal, which was supposed to be built shortly after the completion of the West, was never built due to political upheaval and regime change.

Sutopo conceded that even though the construction of the East Flood Canal would not solve all the flood problems completely, the city still needed it. "But do not expect Jakarta to be free of all floods by building just one canal. The drainage system of the 13 existing rivers in Jakarta has just become too chaotic."

He suggested that the central government and the Jakarta administration need to enforce all of the current laws which deal with city water management, particularly licenses for building on green areas.

He added that without law enforcement and community participation, any infrastructure projects to solve the problems would fall short.

Sutopo also suggested that the administration adopt a new vision: A participatory paradigm that involves people conserving and maintaining their immediate environment, and a back-to-nature paradigm.

"Since around 1995, many foreign countries, such as the United States and India, have learned that allocating a great deal of money only for building infrastructure failed to eliminate the flood problems," he explained.

"The German government has restored its rivers, which were previously turned into straight canals, back to their natural winding conditions," he cited.

"So far, the best example in Indonesia for the participatory paradigm have been the measures implemented by the Kali Code riverbank in Yogyakarta," the official said. "The residents have conserved the river, built their houses properly, and grown plants there."

In Jakarta, some residents near the Cipinang riverbank have also done the same.

"The ideal way is to clear all the riverbanks of houses. Whether the dwellers possess ownership documents or not, houses on riverbanks should be considered illegal," Sutopo said.

He added that the government also needed to take action by demolishing all the illegal resorts and houses in Puncak, Bogor, as the area had been designated as a water catchment area.