"Jakarta needs greater catchment areas"

"Jakarta needs greater catchment areas"

Environmental damage is partly to blame for the current flood
problems. But, poor city public policies and the lack of public
awareness are also responsible for such disasters. The Jakarta
Post talked to some residents in search of possible solutions to
the annual problem.

Rida, 32, is a geophysicist at an oil company in Rawamangun,
East Jakarta. He resides in Bekasi with his wife and daughter:

I guess the flood problems in the city are caused by
uncontrollable deforestation in Bogor which has severely reduced
the catchment areas so that the overflow of water flowing into
Jakarta is unstoppable.

But above all, the main problem is the government's absence of
concrete actions to handle the floods. I don't even see any plans
to deal with it. I think the absence of funds is not a reasonable
excuse for the administration not to solve the annual problem.

On the other hand, city residents' poor awareness, exemplified
by their habit of dumping waste in the rivers also worsens the
situation.

Building more riverbanks or dams in the city will be useless.
Moreover, it will exacerbate the environment because the dredged
mud will become annoying dust in the dry season. Those programs
will only waste money and be ineffective.

Flood canals and more areas for water storage will be a little
bit more effective, but only as a short-term solution, as they
will only minimize the flood risks. They're not the solution.

I'm of the opinion that it would be better to make more flood
gates in Jakarta. Because as far as I know, the city now depends
on the flood gates in Bogor and Depok. If there are more flood
gates, the excess water will be channeled through several
outlets.

So, the city government should work hand in hand with other
city administrations to find the best solution. Otherwise the
floods will continue to haunt city residents every year.

Eka Wenats Wuryanto, 32, is a lecturer at Atma Jaya Catholic
University in South Jakarta. He resides in Pondok Gede, Bekasi,
with his wife and son:

In my opinion, Jakarta is growing at a wild pace. I mean to
say that the city development is totally unmanageable. Worse
still, the city government lacks of transparency in its policies.
In addition, the policies tend to be unfriendly to the
environment.

We can see now that there are no more catchment areas. The
drainage systems are damaged. Besides, big buildings
uncontrollably absorb the ground water without the implementation
of proper regulations by the city administration. As a result,
the city is sinking below sea level.

I wish we could return back to the old Jakarta days in which
the rivers and irrigation systems were planned in such a way that
they prevented floods.

I'm of the opinion that the city government should expand the
catchment areas even though it may trigger disputes with local
residents, especially those illegal settlers living along the
riverbanks.

Ideally, catchment areas should make up 25 percent of the
total land area in the city. And, Jakarta now has far less than
10 percent of catchment areas since those areas have been used
for elite housing complexes or shopping centers. It's ridiculous.

In addition, the government should campaign for an eco-
friendly movement within the community in an effort to save the
city. Otherwise, city residents will have more apathy toward the
environment as the administration never sides with the public
interests.

Lina, 32, is a Biology teacher at Sekolah Global Jaya in
Bintaro, Tangerang. She resides in Tanah Kusir, South Jakarta
with her husband and daughter:

I guess the flood problems are getting worse in the city due
to the habit of city residents of dumping their garbage in the
rivers. Worse still, the absence of appropriate city plans also
exacerbates the problem.

In addition, rampant deforestation also aggravates the problem
of retention of the water as ground water.

I'm of the opinion that the most practical thing to do is to
boost public awareness about the environment starting from simple
things. Only when people care for their environment, such
horrendous disasters can be minimized.

I regret to note the fact that the government is always
talking nonsense about environmental campaigns. It'd be better
for the government to learn from foreign countries that give a
lot of attention to the environment. It's the government's
responsibility to raise such awareness regardless of the
financial constraints.

I cannot deny the fact that many of my colleagues and students
are careless about litter. In a way, I can understand that it's
hard to raise public awareness instantly, as most of us here are
busy struggling to survive.

However, it doesn't mean that it's impossible. Because, it
would be no use even if we apply the most advanced technology
here for flood prevention if the public lacks ecological
awareness.

Personally, I prefer this long-term strategy as a solution to
the flood problem.