Special unit proposed for East Flood Canal project

Special unit proposed for East Flood Canal project

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Public Works Agency has proposed the establishment of
an independent project management unit to handle the Rp 5
trillion (US$588.24 million) East Flood Canal project to stop the
flooding that regularly affects 25 percent of Jakarta's 650-
square-kilometer area.

Head of the agency, IGKG Suena, said over the weekend that the
proposal had been submitted to Governor Sutiyoso and is being
discussed at the Jakarta Development Planning Agency (Bappeda).

"We hope that by establishing the unit to focus on the
development of the East Flood Canal project, it will be capable
of being speeded up," he said, adding that the management unit
would be established next year, if the proposal is approved.

According to Suena, this would allow the agency to concentrate
on other important projects, including road construction to
overcome traffic problems in the city after the canal project had
been taken over by an independent unit.

He expressed the hope that the unit would also handle the
management of the East Flood Canal after the project was
completed. The canal has been designed to host the city's first
river transportation project while the banks along the canal will
be designated as new economic growth areas.

The East Flood Canal, a joint project between the city
administration and the central government, will be 23 kilometers
long while it will be between 100 meters and 300 meters wide.

The administration has allocated some Rp 2.47 trillion to
acquire 400 hectares of land while the government has provided
some Rp 2.527 trillion for the construction of the project.

Suena said that the project could be finished within two years
as long as it is properly funded.

"The money for land acquisition should not only come from the
city budget but also from loans from other financial
institutions," he said.

He claimed that the Ministry of Settlements and Regional
Infrastructure had ensured that the government could provide
whatever funding was needed for the construction of the canal.

So far, the administration had only been able to clear some 30
hectares of land, which was mostly located in the north of the
city because land prices were lower there than in other areas.

The administration expects to acquire 40 hectares of land next
year with Rp 150 billion being allocated for this from the 2004
city budget. Suena argued that the budget had been estimated
based on land prices of up to Rp 500,000 per square meter.

"The land acquisition process must be finished by 2006 if we
want to complete the construction of the canal by 2007. If the
city can only provide some Rp 200 billion per year, some
additional financial back-up will have to be found," he said.

The East Flood Canal and the existing West Flood Canal will
create a semicircular canal that will take water from 13 major
rivers that originate in the highlands of West Java and which
flow through the city.

The existing West Flood Canal, which is 14 kilometers long and
runs from Manggarai in South Jakarta to Penjaringan district in
North Jakarta, was constructed in 1924 by the Netherlands Indies
government.

The East Flood canal will start in Cipinang in East Jakarta
and end in Marunda in North Jakarta. It was designed by
Netherlands Engineering Consultants (Nedeco) in 1973.