Eastern flood canal project won't be canceled, says Rais
Eastern flood canal project won't be canceled, says Rais
JAKARTA (JP): Deputy governor of economic and development
affairs Tb. M. Rais said yesterday the municipality would not
cancel the long-planned eastern canal project.
Commenting on recent reports that the project would be
canceled, Rais said the project was necessary to protect the
eastern parts of the capital from worse flooding.
"We have never considered canceling the project despite the
fact that we lack funds to start it," Rais told reporters at City
Hall.
The assistant to the city secretary of development affairs,
Prawoto S. Danoemihardjo, said the city administration had not
been informed of any plan to cancel the eastern canal project.
"The discussions between the municipality and the Ministry of
Public Works are still proceeding," Prawoto said.
Both Rais and Prawoto were responding to recent statements
made by the head of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers improvement
project under the Ministry of Public Works, Siswoko.
Siswoko told journalists in Bogor last week that the ministry
and the city administration were re-evaluating the continuation
of the 28-kilometer project, which was first planned in 1973. The
project was aimed at regulating the Cipinang River.
The re-evaluation of the eastern canal project was intended to
reduce the cost and social impact, he said.
Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar had earlier said the
government halted the project for financial reasons.
"The project requires some Rp 1 trillion (US$417.54) just for
land appropriation," Radinal said.
Loans and other foreign funding did not include compensation
for relocating residents, he said.
Rais said yesterday that land appropriation had also hampered
the project. "The land around the (planned) project site belongs
to residents and housing developers. This makes land
appropriation more complicated," Rais said. "We are going to talk
with the developers about the matter soon."
Prawoto said the central government was in charge of the land
appropriation funds. The city administration, he said, only
assisted the government in the process of appropriation.
"So far, we have appropriated 400 square meters of land," he
said.
Tunnel
According to Siswoko, the government and the municipality
would instead start the construction of a 20-meter deep tunnel
connecting the Ciliwung River in Jakarta and the Cisadane River
in Bogor, West Java.
The one-kilometer tunnel, which would be a part of the western
flood control system, is believed unlikely to spark social unrest
caused by land appropriation.
The tunnel project was given priority after last year's floods
killed at least 30 people and led to losses of at least Rp 90
billion. The floods were blamed on several factors, including the
uncompleted state of the eastern canal.
When asked whether the eastern canal project was included in
the new city plan, Prawoto said he did not know about it. "I
haven't received the new plan," he said.
He added that the eastern canal project was included in the
current city planning, which is now under review.
Last week, councilor Lukman F. Mokoginta urged the
municipality to include the eastern canal project, or an
alternative plan, in the new urban plan for the 1985/2005 period.
(ste/11)