New check dam to be built in Bintaro area

JAKARTA (JP): In a bid to protect the Civil Servants Cooperative Organization (IKPN) housing complex in Bintaro, South Jakarta, from seasonal floods, the city administration plans to build a new dam.

Yesterday Jayakarta daily reported the plan was announced when the city flood prevention team visited the location on Thursday. The area was still inundated by 25-cm of water after the cement dam, which was built with residents' funds, broke due to the strong current of Pesanggrahan river.

The residents had built a two-kilometer long stone wall to prevent the annual flood but the strong current broke four meters of the wall.

Jayakarta reported the residents are now preparing around 1,500 sandbags to plug up the four-meter hole.

The IKPN complex is one of 38 areas in Jakarta which are prone to floods. The complex is located near the junction of two rivers, the Pesanggrahan and Pondok Pinang.

Chief of the Central Jakarta Public Works Office, H. Bachri Anwar, said the Petamburan area, an area in Central Jakarta which is prone to floods, is predicted to have worse floods than previously because the area is lower than the water level of the Banjir Kanal river, which passes through it.

Bachri said the office is now preparing thousands of sandbags to stop water from escaping the damaged dam.

Petamburan District Chief Tumirin said there are approximately 9,000 people living in the area.

An official of the Central Jakarta Parks Office, Susilo, said the office has established a special team to take care of trees which have fallen due to storms and rain. The team is on 24 hour alert.

He said the office has trimmed many trees located along the main roads such as Jl. Teuku Umar, Jl. Cik Ditiro and Jl. Menteng Raya.

In the western part of the city, the authorities have prepared around 5,000 sandbags in anticipation of floods.

West Jakarta Mayor Sutardjianto has ordered his personnel to be on 24-hour alert for any floods.

Sutardjianto said sandbags to be used to stop water escaping from a damaged dam, were previously stored at his office and several district administration offices.

The mayor said at least 15 sub-districts under his supervision are still prone to seasonal floods. They include Palmerah, Kedoya, Angke, Kedaung Kali Angke, Cengkareng, Taman Kota and Tamansari. (mas)