Policy-makers to blame for floods: River project chief
Policy-makers to blame for floods: River project chief
JAKARTA (JP): Poor policy-making on the part of regional
developers, abetted by negligent city officials, has resulted in
a number of river points that are prone to flooding, an official
said yesterday.
The head of the Ciliwung-Cisadane Rivers Development Project,
Siswoko, said that the swelling rivers in Jakarta indicate rapid
development in upstream areas, where water catchment areas
usually help prevent flooding downstream.
In addition to upstream areas, city officials have also
allowed developers to convert downstream areas into residential
areas and tourism sites.
Because most upstream areas can no longer hold rain water, the
water flows downstream into rivers unable to contain massive
inflows of rainwater, Siswoko said. The problem is exacerbated
when downstream areas are turned into residential complexes, he
said, citing the project to reclaim the swamp areas in north
Jakarta as an example.
Upstream swamp areas, Siswoko said, once played a significant
role in preventing water from flowing downstream.
The dumping of garbage into waterways and the proliferation of
shanties along riverbanks have added to the problem, he said.
"It's hard to maintain clean river programs if people keep
dumping garbage into the rivers."
The city now has 80 spots prone to flooding, 20 of which are
in the "western stream section" of the capital, including the
IKPN complex in South Jakarta, Palmerah in West Jakarta and Teluk
Gong in North Jakarta.
Twenty-five locations are in the "central stream section" of
the city, including the Pertamina housing complex in South
Jakarta, Jati Petamburan in Central Jakarta, Taman Sari in West
Jakarta and Jembatan II in North Jakarta.
The remaining 35 areas, including Cipinang Rambutan in East
Jakarta, Jl. Bungur, Central Jakarta and Kelapa Gading, North
Jakarta, are in the "eastern stream section".
"The government must build big dams to end flooding problems
in the city but it's too expensive," he said.
Siswoko said geographically about 40 percent of Jakarta is low
land, 20 percent of which is below sea level.
The Ciliwung-Cisadane Rivers Development Project and the city
administration are cooperating to form a 24-hour flood watch post
to monitor flooding in the city.
The project has cleaned up about 20 pump houses, whose pumps
are used to drain water during times of flooding, and built
several small dams to deal with the floods.
The Sunter Timur I dam is designed to protect a 200-hectare
area in North Jakarta against flooding.
The Sunter Timur III flood control project, scheduled for
completion in January, is designed to prevent flooding in a 570-
hectare area in Rawa Badak and Koja Utara, also in North Jakarta.
The Ancol pump house now under construction will handle floods
in an area of 635 hectares, including Pademangan Timur and
Pademangan Barat, also in North Jakarta. (yns)