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.