East Flood Canal no panacea: BPPT hydologist

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.