Info system installed to control floods
Info system installed to control floods
JAKARTA (JP): The government now has both manual and automatic
information systems to warn people of floods after a computerized
system to provide accurate and continuous data on water levels
was set up in May.
The automatic system is online at all times. It was set up to
complement the current manual information system.
"The establishment of the dual information systems of flood
control will pass flood warnings on to the government and local
administration officials who can then warn the public," the
manager of the Ciliwung-Cisadane river basin development project,
Siswoko, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
He added that with early information on real water levels
upstream, those lower down can react properly.
"The new technology, called Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (Scada) has 24 stations in Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and
Jakarta and four remote terminal units in Jakarta,"
He said the Canadian-French technology provides updated water
level data from 13 downstream rivers here and at three upstream
sites of the Ciliwung and Pesanggrahan rivers in Bogor, Depok and
Bekasi.
He added that monitoring terminals were installed in his
office on Jl. Inspeksi Tarum Barat, East Jakarta, and three more
at the public works offices.
The old manual information system uses walkie-talkie radio
through which picket officials in Bogor, Depok and Bekasi can
communicate water levels every half hour to other picket
officials in Jakarta.
"With the dual information system we hope that both the
officials in charge and the public can take proper steps to
anticipate floods," Siswoko said.
Siswoko said that whatever technology is applied, Jakarta will
still be flooded, because it is too near sealevel.
Siswoko warned that floods as serious as those in January and
February this year could happen this rainy season.
He said that the public misguidedly believes that floods that
bad happen only in every 20 years.
"A flood like the one in January has a probability of 20
years, meaning similar or even worse flooding may reoccur sooner
or later within 20 years," said Siswoko.
The January and February floods killed 30 people and caused Rp
90 billion in total losses. (kod)