Flood prevention

Only a few people are aware that the Ciliwung River reached the alarming level of 180 at the Manggarai flood gate following heavy rains upstream in Bogor on Saturday.

If the level had reached 200, several areas in the city would have been flooded.

Thank God, the rain in Bogor stopped after four hours. We can say thank God because the flood did not take place just because of natural occurrences.

Saturday's torrential rains awakened us to the fact that the capital city is still very vulnerable to floods. It was obviously fortunate for Jakartans that the rains had fallen sporadically. Last year's suffering could again happen.

One year should be enough time for the Jakarta administration to prepare for a repeat flood disaster.

Up to now only five of 78 spots vulnerable to flooding have been 'repaired'. However, none of the five has been declared free from flooding.

Jakarta is built on low flood-prone land and financial constraints remains. The question is why are other projects like beautifying the National Monument square and the construction of new toll roads prioritized?

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta