Ministry of Public Works: Diversion of Ciputat River for Bintaro Housing Expansion

TANGERANG SELATAN, KOMPAS.com - Deputy Minister of Public Works Diana Kusumastuti has emphasised that the diversion of the Ciputat and Cibenda river courses in the Bintaro area by PT Jaya Real Property Tbk was carried out from the outset to support the expansion of the housing estate. Diana made this statement when contacted by Kompas.com via short message on Thursday (7/5/2026), in response to the controversy over the river course diversion in the Bintaro XChange commercial area. “The application was intended for the development/expansion of the housing area,” Diana said. The river course diversion activity carried out by PT Jaya Real Property Tbk is said to have a basis in permission from the government through Ministerial Decree of Public Works Number 298/KPTS/M/2011 dated 13 October 2011 on Compensation for the Normalisation of the Ciputat and Cibenda River Sections. The implementation of the river course diversion and the construction of infrastructure from the old to the new flow is also said to have been declared fully functional by the technical team. “With the condition that there is a replacement river with dimensions and capacity at least the same or greater. Thus, the river diversion process does not cause flooding in the area,” Diana said. In that decision, PT Jaya Real Property Tbk was also required to provide compensation for the Ciputat and Cibenda river sections, namely the former river land of 21,966 cubic metres with replacement land of 35,980 cubic metres along with complementary buildings to the Ministry of Public Works. However, the documents state that the Ministry of Public Works has signed the handover minutes for the old and new river sections on 23 September 2011 through Handover Minutes Number 08/BA/Da/2011 and Number 019/JRP-YHW/IX/2011. The Ciliwung-Cisadane River Basin Agency (BBWSCC) team had previously conducted a field review and found a river course diversion on the Secondary Irrigation Channel and Ciputat River in the Bintaro commercial area. In those findings, the secondary irrigation channel was said to have been closed and diverted using a box culvert, namely a precast concrete structure in the shape of a box used as an underground drainage channel, by straightening and diverting the flow towards the Ciputat River. “Currently, a warning has been issued to fulfil or complete its obligations,” Diana said. The Agency also requested that the assets be immediately handed over to the Directorate General of Water Resources and that embankment repairs be carried out before the handover process is conducted.