Jakarta in need of underground mapping
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)