PAM Jaya denies claims that the excavation project in Kalideres has stalled
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Perumda PAM Jaya denies claims that the excavation project on Jalan Peta Selatan, Kalideres, West Jakarta, has been abandoned due to a lack of physical work activity. PAM Jaya’s Senior Manager for Corporate & Customer Communication, Gatra Vaganza, said that the absence of physical work at the excavation site is due to the method used, namely the ‘jacking’ method or underground boring. ‘We push the pipes using a technique called jacking. Because in Jakarta today the open-cut method, which would split and open the entire road, is no longer allowed,’ Gatra said when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday. He added that the excavation pits are left open as markers to confirm the routing of pipes laid underground. ‘So the pits are to see if the pipes laid beneath are along the correct path. When we pass by, it might appear that there is no work. Indeed, there is no work on the surface. The pits are simply control pits,’ he said.
Gatra stressed that using the open-cut method would involve splitting the road along the entire work corridor, which would obviously have a massive impact on traffic. ‘If we used the open-cut method, for example a pipe installation from Monas to Bundaran HI would require extensive road demolition and would cause severe congestion,’ he said.
Therefore, the gaping pits on Jalan Peta Selatan presently function as control pits to monitor pipe movement underground, not the main area of physical work. ‘These pits are used to see whether the pipes run straight and whether they are aligned with the plan. So when people pass by and see them, they might think ’there are just holes, and no one is working’. Yes, there is no on-surface work because it is for monitoring,’ Gatra said.
Nevertheless, Gatra did not deny that the project’s completion in the area has fallen behind the target. Initially, the clean-water pipe excavation begun in November 2025 was targeted to finish in February 2026. However, the target had to be pushed back to April 2026. ‘There happened to be other utility works at the site, so it turned out that the point of excavation is currently constrained. Beneath the excavation there are other utility networks, causing the progress to fall behind,’ he explained.
Meanwhile, regarding the overflow and odour from the dirty drainage spilling onto the street, Gatra said the overflow did not originate from PAM Jaya’s control pits. ‘According to field staff, there is a lot of debris in the sewer there. But a site review is needed. We have been coordinating with Sudin SDA (Sumber Daya Air) as well,’ he added.
On Monday afternoon (2/3), the site showed sewer water forming a small pool of about 2 x 3 metres at the roadside, with a strong odour that spread to a muddy edge of the road. The roadside margins also showed damage from seepage. A barrier board around the site still closed one lane. At the area, a sign read ‘Efforts are underway to improve water piping service’ along with PAM Jaya’s call centre number. Although the excavation appears to have been completed in some parts, with several trench remnants sealed with earth and cement, the road barrier has not yet been removed.