Jakarta Flood Control: 61 Illegal Buildings Along Kali Sentiong Demolished
The Central Jakarta municipal government cleared 61 illegal buildings standing on the banks of the Sentiong River in Senen Subdistrict, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (30/7).
The firm action was taken as an effort to restore the function of the riverbank, support area development, and optimise flood control in the capital.
Paseban Subdistrict Head Citra Arum Purdiarini confirmed that the dozens of unlicensed buildings were spread across RW 04, RW 05, RW 06, and RW 08 over a stretch of roughly 1.2 kilometres.
“This clearance of illegal buildings is to restore the function of the Sentiong riverbank,” Citra said in Jakarta on Thursday (30/7).
Citra explained that the subdistrict office had followed standard operating procedures before deploying the enforcement team. Local residents had been given outreach and warning letters to dismantle the structures themselves.
The facilities cleared included a variety of non-permanent and permanent structures, ranging from food stalls, animal pens, and security posts to residents’ dwellings.
RIVER NORMALISATION
The large-scale clearance involved joint personnel from the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), the Highways Sub-Department, the Water Resources (SDA) Sub-Department, the Transportation Sub-Department (Sudinhub), and the Central Jakarta Environment Sub-Department, with tight security provided by the military and police.
The demolition process is targeted for completion within two days. Once the clean-up is finished, a number of regional apparatus organisations (OPD) will immediately move in to continue area development according to their respective mandates.
One of the main focuses after the clearance is the acceleration of flood-control infrastructure projects. The Central Jakarta Water Resources Sub-Department is scheduled to continue the construction of a sheet pile retaining wall along the Sentiong riverbank, which has been stalled and delayed for several years.
Not only that, the Central Jakarta Parks and Urban Forest Sub-Department will also transform the cleared land into resident-friendly open green space.
“This series of developments is expected not only to restore the function of the Sentiong riverbank, but also to create a public space that is more orderly, safe, and comfortable for residents,” she said. (Ant/P-2)