Piles of garbage raise flood fears

JAKARTA (JP): Huge piles of garbage dumped in the city's rivers are raising fears of increased flooding during the current rainy season.

Soeharto, head of the city's public works agency, urged residents to stop disposing of their waste in the rivers.

"Rivers blocked by garbage could endanger the areas the people live in," Soeharto said on Monday.

He said that the Mukervart, Ciliwung, Angke, Pesanggrahan, Krukut, Grogol, Baru Barat, Baru Timur and Cipinang rivers, among others, were in danger of increased flooding because of the huge piles of garbage dumped in them.

"My hope is that the capital's residents will pay heed to this warning. Otherwise, we could be in for a lot of trouble."

According to earlier reports, heavy rains and flooding resulting from the La Nia weather phenomenon were expected to hit the capital.

P.J. Sugiono of the city sanitation agency said on Tuesday that the agency's officers often could not gain access to narrow alleys in densely populated areas in order to collect the garbage.

"We have asked the residents several times to come out and throw their garbage into the garbage carts parked outside the alleys," he said.

"But they'd rather throw their garbage in the rivers."

"The rivers need to be dredged to ensure that the water flows properly. Otherwise, major floods will occur," Sugiono said. (ylt)