President urges improved planning to fight floods

President urges improved planning to fight floods

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri urged for stricter spatial
planning in Jakarta and its buffer towns to avoid further natural
disasters, such as floods and landslides.

Speaking at the inauguration of several water pumps in the
capital on Thursday, the President suggested that spatial
planning be detailed in a blueprint that would bind all the
involved parties.

"With the program, whoever leads the country will have to
abide by the blueprint to avoid further environmental
destruction," she said.

Two of the water pumps are located in South Jakarta, two in
Central Jakarta and one in North Jakarta.

Megawati blamed the environmental destruction in Puncak, Bogor
and Cianjur areas in West Java, which serve as water catchment
areas for Jakarta, on the absence of harmonious spatial planning.

"It is very expensive to install the pumps, we would not have
needed them if spatial planning in the southern part of Jakarta,
such as Puncak had been more detailed," Megawati said.

Since 2000, Jakarta has suffered annual floods, which have
been blamed on disorderly city planning, as well as the
construction of villas and resorts in water catchment areas.

The government will issue a new blueprint in July for the
spatial planning of Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur areas.

In her speech, the President also asked people to heighten
their environmental awareness and focus on reforestation in order
to avoid floods.

Meanwhile, Minister of Resettlement and Regional
Infrastructure Soenarno said the water pumps could minimize
flooding in the capital.

"If we made full use of the existing drainage and sanitation
system, we would be able to contain flooding after heavy rain,"
Soenarno said.

According to the minister, the pumps could control water
levels in 30 to 40 percent of areas that were prone to flooding.