North Jakarta Water Resources Agency Dredges 15 Reservoirs and Waterways to Optimise Capacity
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The North Jakarta Water Resources Agency (Sudin SDA) has carried out dredging operations on 15 reservoirs and small rivers across the North Jakarta area to optimise water storage capacity during extreme rainfall events.
“This is an effort we are undertaking to deal with extreme rainfall conditions that have the potential to cause flooding,” said the Head of the North Jakarta Water Resources Agency, Heria Suwandi, in Jakarta on Monday.
He cited the example of Kali Cakung Lama in Cilincing, which has been dredged since 2025 with work continuing this year. In several segments, the width of the waterway, previously two metres, has been expanded to between 10 and 15 metres.
According to him, this effort has been carried out in coordination with sub-district and district authorities through public outreach and engagement with communities living along the riverbanks.
“Thankfully, there is public awareness, so residents have been willing to dismantle structures that encroached into the waterway,” he said.
He added that similar measures would be extended to the downstream sections of Kali Cakung Lama. Narrowing of waterways has also occurred at Kali Lagoa Tirem, Inlet IV A and Inlet IV B feeding into Waduk Danau Cincin, making dredging operations difficult.
Similar conditions exist at Waduk Pluit, Kali Angke, Kali Adem and numerous other locations.
“Spatial changes of this nature have accumulated over decades, obstructing water flow and causing flooding,” he said.
The North Jakarta Water Resources Agency is stepping up preparedness to address the potential for heavy and extreme rainfall as well as tidal flooding predicted to occur over the coming days.
“A total of 72 pump stations and 22 mobile pump units have been placed on standby as flood mitigation measures at various flood-prone locations,” said Heria Suwandi in Jakarta on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued warnings of heavy to very heavy rainfall across DKI Jakarta from 16 to 19 February 2026.
Based on official BMKG information posted on its Instagram account @infobmkg on Monday, the agency issued a watch-level warning for moderate to heavy rainfall on Monday (16/2), with potential impacts in North Jakarta and the Thousand Islands.
The potential impacts at this watch level include hydrometeorological hazards such as localised flooding, river overflow and landslides that could disrupt public activities.
The BMKG also issued an alert-level warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall potentially affecting Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, South Jakarta, as well as Bogor Regency and Bogor City.
At the alert level, potential hydrometeorological hazards include flooding, flash floods and landslides with significant impacts on communities, public services and infrastructure.