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)