Jakarta in need of underground mapping

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta is badly in need of underground mapping to enable the city to utilize its land for underground construction, an official said yesterday.

"In a very short time we will not be able to build anything on the ground in the city, which covers an area of 650.40 square kilometers," head of the City Mapping and Land Measurement Agency, Moch. Sidarta, said.

He said other countries, such as Japan and the United States, used 30 percent of their land in major cities for underground construction.

"Japan, for instance, has a subway that has seven underground floors. We should study their example," Sidarta said.

Sidarta said that, like it or not, the city administration should conduct underground mapping, because the city could face serious land shortage problems in the future.

"If no one realizes the importance of underground mapping, the city will face much more complicated problems in land shortage over the next few years," he said.

He said underground mapping was important to identify the conditions of the land.

"Using underground mapping, the administration could determine the kinds of projects to be constructed," Sidarta said.

Unfortunately, he said, none of the city's development plans included underground mapping.

He said the municipality annually issued permits for the construction of 13,000 new buildings on land, excluding the construction of new streets, bridges, or other infrastructure projects by the Ministry of Public Works.

The governor, he said, planned to introduce underground mapping before his office term ended Oct. 6.

"In line with the municipality's plan to develop a subway, underground mapping is essential," Sidarta said.

"By developing an underground transport system, the municipality will not only reduce traffic jams, but it will also be able to develop modern underground shopping centers," Sidarta said.

Besides, an underground transport system will create a friendlier atmosphere for pedestrians, he said.

The construction of the long-awaited subway, which was scheduled to start in June after it was postponed in April, was delayed again without any further information about when it would commence.

Deputy Governor of Economic and Development Affairs Tb.M. Rais previously said the subway would be the only solution to Jakarta's never-ending traffic problems.

He said with the rapid increase of private cars and the government's difficulties in finding space for more streets, "the only possible solution is to build an underground transport system," he said.

The US$2.2 billion subway project connecting Blok M in South Jakarta to downtown Kota was originally expected to be completed by Aug. 17, 2001. (ste)