House Collapses in Central Jakarta, Owner Blames River Normalisation Project

The owner of a collapsed house in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, Ali Nugroho, has revealed that the structure had been tilting for a week before it gave way. The 43-year-old said the shift was first noticed on the morning of Friday, 19 June, and he suspects it was caused by a river normalisation project along the Ciliwung River. “It might have been too deep or something, causing the foundation of the house to shift slightly,” Ali explained at the site on Jalan Administrasi Negara I.

Ali stated that the house had stood since 2004 and was renovated into a two-storey building in 2006 without any prior issues. Upon noticing the tilt, he immediately reported the situation to the local neighbourhood head, which was then escalated to the Jakarta Water Resources Agency (SDA). However, he claims no confirmation or action was received from the agency before the collapse occurred on Friday morning. “We communicated this on the morning of the 19th. Until today, when this happened, there was no confirmation from the Water Resources Agency,” he said.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported as the family had already vacated the premises and packed their belongings. “We took the initiative, thinking it might collapse. We cleared out on Friday and the last of it was moved on Monday the 22nd,” Ali added, noting that only a few heavy items were left behind.

Meanwhile, the head of the local neighbourhood unit, Kanti, pointed to a temporary waste disposal site adjacent to the house as a potential contributing factor. He noted that waste collection frequency had recently been reduced from daily to just once or twice a week, leading to significant accumulation. “I am not an expert, but this happened after the waste piled up. The collection schedule was cut drastically, and the site was even closed for a period,” Kanti said. He confirmed that multiple agencies, including the Environmental Agency, SDA, and the Public Works Department, have since arrived to handle the aftermath.