Many Jakarta areas still prone to floods during rainy season
JAKARTA (JP): At least 80 areas in and around the city are prone to floods during the rainy season.
The areas are mostly located along the banks of rivers and canals passing through the city. Others are located below sea level.
Head of the Project for Water Resource Management and Flood Control of the Ciliwung-Cisadane rivers, Sahala Th. Sinaga, said during the current rainy season many of the areas will be inundated due to the lack of funds to finance flood control activities, Kompas reported.
Data from Sinaga's office shows that in North Jakarta, areas prone to flooding include Bunderan Pluit, Telukgong, Kapuk Muara, Kelapa Gading Vespa, Jembatan II and Jembatan III.
In East Jakarta the areas include Kebon Pala and Kampung Makassar, which are located at the bend area of the Cipinang river, Bidaracina on the banks of the Ciliwung river and Cipinang Rambutan, Palad housing complex and Jl. Dewi Sartika in Cawang.
In South Jakarta, the areas are at the IKPN housing complex in Bintaro and around the Tarakanita school complex.
"It's not easy to stop the floods from engulfing the IKPN housing complex because it is in a low-lying area. Its right on the banks of the Krukut river," Sinaga said.
Downpour
In West Jakarta, Taman Kota, Jelambar Ilir, Pondok Bandung and the mayoralty office housing complex are classified as areas prone to flooding.
The areas in Central Jakarta are Jl. Agus Salim, Jl. Industri, Jl. Dwi Warna and Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta.
During the evening hours of yesterday, a heavy downpour in the city caused traffic jams on many streets due to a number of roads being flooded.
Sinaga said his office has deployed a number of personnel to 29 guard posts in and around the city to continuously monitor the flow of water during the rainy season.
The on-the-alert personnel were deployed Nov. 1 and will be continue their monitoring until March 31 next year.
The city authorities have launched a number of flood control preparations on major rivers throughout Jakarta in anticipation to the upcoming rainy season.
New flood control facilities have also been provided to remove garbage from the rivers.
Besides the recent cleanup of several rivers, such as the Sunter river, Sinaga's office is planning to carry out similar work over the next few weeks under the city's budget of Rp 350 million (about US$159,000).
"We hope that the funds can be disbursed as soon as possible, thereby enabling the work to be carried out on time," he said.
The city authorities have also built a new reservoir in Sunter Baru, expected to help control the floods which usually last for several days. (bsr)