Schools told to save records

JAKARTA (JP): Elementary schools in flood-prone areas should take special steps to save school records from being lost when floods strike again, a city councilor said yesterday.

The councilor, Soeparmo, who heads the city's welfare affairs commission, said that last year 110 schools were affected by floods.

He said that many lost all their administrative and student records, including pupils' scholastic results.

Some of the records were on computer data bases and some on paper, he said.

Soeparmo, who was the head of the city education and teaching agency before becoming a councilor, said schools in flood-prone areas should find a safe, high place to keep records.

"It is important to store records as high as possible," he said.

He said schools that had more than one meter of flooding should be rebuilt with the ground floor above the usual flood line.

"These school buildings should be built on scaffolding," he said.

Soeparmo said 15 schools were flooded to roof level last year. In Central Jakarta these were SDN 05, SDN 06, SDN 09 and SDN 010, all in the Petamburan area. In East Jakarta, those seriously flooded were SDN 05 and SDN 06 in Bidara Cina, and SDN Cililitan 03. In South Jakarta, SDN Kebon Baru XI/XII and SDN Pangadegan 09 were seriously flooded.

The municipality is currently carrying out a river and canal dredging program across the city to help minimize the effects of future flooding.

Rivers and canals being dredged in West Jakarta include Kali Krukut, Kali Ciliwung Kota, Kali Duri, Kali Grogol and Kali Cideng. Dredging is also taking place in Kali Sunter, Kali Legoa and Kali Pademangan Timur in North Jakarta, and Banjir Kanal Timur in East Jakarta.

Reservoirs and lakes which are being dredged include Ragunan reservoir in South Jakarta, Grogol and Tanjung Duren reservoirs in West Jakarta, Teluk Gong reservoir in North Jakarta and Kelapa Dua Wetan lake in East Jakarta. (ind)