Shanties obstruct flood control plan

JAKARTA (JP): More than 5,000 shanties built along riverbanks from North to South Jakarta are obstructing the city's flood control program, officials of the Ministry of Public Works said.

Soeparmono, the ministry's director general of water resources development, said yesterday this was the dilemma faced in flood control projects.

"I am very concerned about this," Soeparmono said. "Each shack has at least three inhabitants," he added.

The project is crucial in curbing floods, "but maybe the municipality is also worried that if it removes thousands of shanties, some 10,000 more people will come".

The directorate general and the municipality plan to meet this week to coordinate the project, another official who requested anonymity said.

Soeparmono said the shacks were in Muara Angke, North Jakarta to Karet and South Jakarta.

Siswoko, head of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers improvement projects, said that of the 5,615 homes, 4,500 are in North Jakarta alone.

The officials said they had received Rp 21 billion to start the project but this is only for construction. The funds do not include removing shacks from riverbanks.

Soeparmono said the problem in Kampung Melayu, one of the affected areas, is even more complex as the homes cannot be categorized as illegal.

"We found residents had building permits and paid annual property tax," he said.

Soeparmono urged the municipality and other local administrations to step up supervision in their areas to prevent building both along riverbanks and in water catchment areas.

He said authorities should also enforce a presidential decree on guarding water catchment areas along the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers in the whole river basin area.

Following last year's floods, central government authorities from the National Development Planning Board, the state environment office and the Attorney General's Office have stated their support for the local governments of Bogor and Cianjur, Last year, uncontrolled development of villas and homes in the mountain resort around Puncak were blamed as the main cause of the floods which killed at least 30 people here.

However, Soeparmono said the middle part of the river basin from Bogor to Ciputat still lacked enforcement.

Efforts by the Ministry of Public Works and other related offices, he said, succeeded in reducing the city's 95 flood-prone spots to 65 last year.

Enforcement is urgent, Soeparmono said, given an expected acute water shortage in Greater Jakarta.

"I'm not only urging authorities in Greater Jakarta, but also those in other areas in Java.

"A person needs at least 2,000 cubic meters of water a year to enable him to eat enough rice and have a nutritious meal every day," he said, adding that it excludes sanitation needs such as bathing and washing.

"The supply of water here is barely enough for minimum needs," Soeparmono said.

He said the question must be raised as to how long development must continue in Greater Jakarta and other areas in Java given its limited resources.

"Currently, development in Greater Jakarta goes on as if it has no limits. We must seriously question how we can spread growth outside Jakarta, where people still crowd like insects to a lamp," he said.

Soeparmono warned that water would be in short supply in August or September.

Lakes, among water catchments areas here, "are in very poor condition", he said.

Soeparmono also warned travelers that many areas along Java's north coast are prone to floods, because many water catchment areas have been developed into residential areas and office space.

Problem areas from West to East Java include Indramayu, Tegal, Pemalang, Kendal and areas further up the Bengawan Solo river, he said.

"However we have 24-hour flood watch centers which will alarm local authorities," Soeparmono said. (anr)