Living with floods

Living with floods

Everybody knows that Jakarta is prone to flooding. No less than 13 rivers criss-cross the capital city, making floods a perennial threat for Jakarta.

People who live in the slums along riverbanks have even developed a "live with floods" philosophy because each rainy season leads sporadic invasions of flood water into their homes.

Yet, last weekend's floods, the worst since 1976, seem to have taken many by surprise. At least they have covered a much wider area than usual, reaching into middle class and elite residential areas as well as into the slums.

These floods also show that we remain as ignorant as ever about the cause of such disasters. And as usual, we tend to resort to rhetoric rather than action in the effort to stop the rising water.

At least three factors can be blamed for the floods that hit Jakarta last weekend. The first is the apparently unstoppable development of housing complexes, bungalows, villas and golf- courses in the Bogor-Puncak area. Most of the rivers which pass through Jakarta originate in Bogor or Puncak, which serve as important water catchments for the greater Jakarta area.

For decades the Bogor authorities have complained about the illegal construction of buildings in the Puncak area, which are mostly owned by affluent Jakartans. It is obvious that they have been fighting a losing battle because many of the owners are big shots who do not hesitate to use their official clout to frighten local officials. So bad has the situation gotten from time to time that in 1983 and 1985 President Soeharto had to issue decrees putting the development of Puncak area under the coordination of the State Minister for Environment.

The 1985 decree stipulates that all development in the Puncak area should make the catchment function of that area the main consideration. But the fact that illegal construction continues without punishment up to now shows that obviously the presidential decree fails to protect Puncak as a water conservation area. The hills there have been stripped for real estate housing projects. Villas have been illegally constructed on the mountain slopes.

In light of all of this one might also wonder why the development of a number of new golf courses has been allowed in the Jakarta and Bogor areas. It is a fact that most golf courses absorb only 30 percent of rainfall as compared to the 70 percent absorbed by forests.

The second factor is the failure of Jakarta's rivers to function as water channels. Some of these rivers are not only clogged by waste, both industrial and household, but have been narrowed by the construction of shanties, or other structures, along their banks. In certain parts of Jakarta, for example, the Ciliwung river has narrowed from its actual average width of 10 meters to five meters due to riverbank squatters.

The third factor is the geographic location of Jakarta, in lowlands bordered by the sea, which contributes to the city being swamped by floods during the wet season. The situation is aggravated by the disappearance of water catchments within the city, such as small lakes, parks and wooded areas, due to the construction of concrete buildings. In short, Jakarta and some parts of Puncak have been turned into forests of concrete structures making it impossible for rainfall to be absorbed and water conserved.

It is obvious that without drastic government measures people making the Greater Jakarta their home will have to live with floods for a long time to come, or worse even, forever. The questions is, will and can the authorities take the necessary steps to save the capital from floods?

To be frank, there is every reason to be a pessimistic. For instance, can the authorities stop housing construction in Puncak? We doubt it.

As long as law enforcement remains weak, and as long as law breakers escape punishment, either by using their influence or their money, no ministerial, or even presidential decree, can stop the violations. And by the time the law does reach those untouchables, it is likely to be too late to restore Puncak as a water catchment.

One should not forget that last year, against strong protests from environmentalists, the Jakarta municipal administration permitted a private company to reclaim 2,700 hectares of land in the Jakarta bay area.

With things like this going on, who can guarantee that Jakarta's flood problems will not become worse.

There is no question that we must prepare ourselves for more wet disasters.