Risk of Landslides Prompts LMK to Call for Cleanup of Illegal Structures Along Kali Baru in Batu Ampar

The Lembaga Musyawarah Kelurahan (LMK) RW 02 Batu Ampar representative, Siti Zuhriyah, described the printing business building that collapsed on the edge of Kali Baru in Batu Ampar, Kramat Jati Subdistrict, East Jakarta, as an illegal structure. “Yes, it can be said so. There are about 20 such buildings,” Siti said when met on Monday (23/3/2026). Siti expressed concern that the presence of these illegal buildings could endanger nearby residents, especially after the landslide that occurred on Sunday (22/3/2026) afternoon. “The hope is that the buildings along the riverbank are quickly cleared. There should be no more buildings on the river edge because it is clearly risky and dangerous if a landslide like this happens,” she explained. The incident caused a nearby tree to fall and hit a resident’s house, affecting two buildings. “The landslide was due to the heavy rain yesterday, which caused the soil here to slide. After that, I coordinated with all relevant parties,” Siti said. Siti added that the collapsed retaining wall of Kali Baru in the Batu Ampar area was about 10 metres long and 2 metres high. “There were no fatalities because the building was already fragile and had been anticipated beforehand. All equipment had also been moved,” Siti revealed. “The impact is that people cannot pass through this road, especially four-wheeled vehicles. We have coordinated with residents to temporarily avoid that route,” Siti explained.