Rivers dredged in preparation for coming floods

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta is ready to face the season's peak downpours once dredging of the city's three main rivers is finished, a top official of the Ministry of Public Works said.

Director General of Water Resources Development Soeparmono said yesterday that the city's three main rivers, the Muara Angke River, the Muara Karang River and the Sunter River, all in North Jakarta, were dredged last month to stem annual floods.

"From a technical standpoint, we are ready to face potential floods," Soeparmono said while taking members of the House of Representatives' Commission V on public works committee on a tour of the city's rivers.

"Those three rivers play a great role in holding flood water," he said.

The government plans to dredge and widen six rivers -- the Angke, Muara Karang, Ciliwung-Gajah Mada, Ciliwung-Gunung Sahari, Ancol and Sunter -- as part of its flood preparation program.

"So far we have dredged only three because of limited funds. The remaining two rivers have to wait," Soeparmono said.

Nonetheless, the National Planning Board has earmarked Rp 12 billion (US$5.4 million) from the 1996/1997 budget for flood control projects in Greater Jakarta.

These projects include dredging and enlarging the 13 rivers and cleaning them of garbage. Other peak rainy season preparations call for the construction or repair of dams, sluice gates, canal walls and drainage areas.

Eventually, the government plans to dredge other rivers in the city, including the Kamal, Angke Hilir, Banjir Kanal, Ciliwung Lama (from Manggarai to Pintu Air Capitol/Istiqlal Mosque), Sentiong, Sunter and Marunda rivers.

Rain in Jakarta is a serious matter. Each year the metropolitan area gets between 1,400mm to 5,000mm of rain. Some areas receive 7,000mm during the peak months of October to March.

According to the Ministry, 300 floods hit Indonesia's lowlands each year -- meaning that a flood happens every 29 hours.

Last January and February, floods in Jakarta killed at least 30 people, left thousands homeless, and crippled the traffic. The raging waters also slashed 100,000 telephone lines and caused Rp 90 million ($38,297) in damage.

Jakarta is one of the areas most vulnerable to floods. Garbage in rivers and environmental degradation in the upstream areas of Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur in West Java, make Jakarta's floods even worse. (ste)