Residents complain about impact of Cakung Drain canal construction in Kelapa Gading

A number of residents have complained about the construction of the Cakung Drain canal in the RT 004/RW03 area, Pegangsaan Dua Urban Village, Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, which has resulted in severed road access and frequently disrupted tap water supply over the past five months. “The work is less than optimal and appears sluggish, thus disrupting residents’ access and activities,” said Parid, head of RT 004/03, Pegangsaan Dua Urban Village, Kelapa Gading District, in Jakarta on Wednesday. He said that initially, residents were pleased about the canal construction and hoped for positive changes. However, to date, he said, the project has been stalled for more than five months. “So, we are also questioning this on behalf of the community,” Parid stated. He mentioned that workers are indeed present every day, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. “This project is ongoing. But to say it’s ongoing, it seems stalled. To say it’s stalled, but it’s ongoing,” Parid remarked. “This area often floods. There have been times when flooding occurred up to four times in a single month. That is why the RW management has long requested a canal embankment,” Parid explained. Furthermore, he revealed that the slow pace of the work has cut off road access and frequently caused the tap water to shut off. “It turns out, when I communicated with the urban village head, the coordination was not good. We deeply regret this. We had hoped that with this construction, there would be sufficiently good coordination,” Parid disclosed. He expressed hope that the Cakung Drain canal construction work would be completed soon so that community life could return to normal. “We want it to be fast. Do not let it be slow, so that all community access can be smooth,” Parid stressed.