Jakarta's rivers to be dredged to prevent floods

Jakarta's rivers to be dredged to prevent floods

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to dredge rivers and improve drainage systems throughout the capital to prevent the recurrence of the recent widespread floods that killed 22 people.

Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar said population pressure has accelerated sedimentation in the city's 13 rivers while encroachment on their basins continues to go unchecked.

"The 13 rivers may cause more calamities if they are not properly managed," he said after meeting with President Soeharto to discuss the pressing problem of flooding in the city.

With Radinal were Minister of National Development Planning/Chairman of the National Planning Board Ginanjar Kartasasmita, Jakarta governor Surjadi Soedirdja and West Java governor R. Nuriana.

President Soeharto suggested that the Muara Angke tributary, the Banjir Kanal drainage canal and the Ciliwung River be dredged to allow faster flows into Jakarta Bay.

He also recommended the construction of a drainage system in eastern and another one in western Jakarta because the existing systems are no longer adequate.

The President also suggested that the Cisadane and Ciliwung rivers be connected by a man-made canal so that water levels in the two major rivers can be regulated, Moochtar said.

Widespread flooding that hit Jakarta between Feb. 10 and 12, killed at least 22 people, forced thousands of families to flee homes, crippled the traffic, cut off around 100,000 telephone lines and left untold material damage.

Radinal said the rainfall was recorded at 231 millimeter on the Saturday, the highest in 50 years.

The mud and sand scooped from the riverbeds will be used to reclaim Jakarta Bay, which will be turned into a modern business center and housing complex, the minister said.

Governor Surjadi lamented many Jakartans' bad habit of littering, which has further worsened the flooding problems as flood gates were clogged and rivers rapidly filled with sediment.

City sanitary officials have estimated that up to 11,000 cubic meter of trash has been removed from flood gates after the latest floods.

"The city administration is determined to tighten control of building activities and people occupying river banks," he said.

At a separate event yesterday, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja warned that the city's plan to reclaim 2,700 hectares of the Jakarta Bay may result in more severe ecological problems for the city.

Sarwono said if the plan does go ahead despite strong opposition from environmentalists, the planners should take into consideration aspects like floods.

"I personally don't mind the reclamation plan but I will insist that the planners study all the possible consequences. Everything should be done correctly from the beginning," he said.

Sarwono agreed that the city's rivers should be cleaned to restore their former capacity. He also criticized Jakartans in general for lacking a sense of cleanliness.

"Even the administration's sanitary workers like dumping trash into the ditches and rivers. And people don't feel guilty when they throw garbage out of their cars," he said.

Sarwono estimated that only 70 percent of the city's garbage has been properly treated.

According to Sarwono, floods in Jakarta, and anywhere else around the world, are the result of the global warming triggered by emission of gases that block the sunlight in the atmosphere.

The warming makes weather unpredictable and causes extreme rainfall and drought, he said. (pan)