Stopping floods

The rainy season has only just begun, but the few rainstorms we have seen in Jakarta this past week show some disturbing signs about the city's ability to cope with flooding.

Floods have been restricted to a few isolated areas, and so far, none have been as devastating as the ones we saw in January and February. But the traffic gridlock caused by flooding the past few days has exacted massive invisible costs on Jakarta in terms of the lost working hours and the psychological stress of being stuck in a car for extended periods of time.

The city administration appears to be absolutely powerless. We have not heard any announcement about ways to control flooding. Instead, we have received statements of resignations. Given this inaction, one cannot help feeling that this week's floods and massive traffic jams are but a taste of things to come.

This is hardly comforting. The floods in January and February, the worst ever to affect the city, still haunt us. They were devastating: more than 30 people were killed, more than half a million people lost their homes, and material losses amounted to more than Rp 90 billion ($39 million).

In the wake of the floods earlier this year, the central government and the city administration were quick to identify the causes of the problem. One might expect that this analysis should have propelled them into action.

The causes identified include the poor drainage system; the declining water catchment areas in and around Jakarta; that the 13 rivers which flow through Jakarta are not wide enough or deep enough to cope with the exceptionally heavy rainfall in Jakarta and in the upstream areas south of Jakarta; and people's habit of further clogging the rivers by throwing garbage into them.

Since then, we have heard various plans to control the floods. The National Development Planning Board has allocated Rp 12 billion ($5.4 million) of this year's fiscal budget to help the Greater Jakarta area cope with floods. The money was earmarked to be spent on short-term programs such as dredging, enlarging, and cleaning the 13 rivers of rubbish, as well as on removing illegal squatters.

The government also has begun demolishing illegal buildings in Puncak, a popular hill resort which is vital water catchment area for Jakarta. It has announced a plan to build a passage linking the Cisadane river in West Java to the Ciliwung river, the main river which passes through Jakarta, to relieve pressure on the Ciliwung during the rainy seasons. There has also been talk about building a dam in Depok to contain rainfall.

Some dredging has been carried out on the main rivers, but the plan to widen the rivers has been stalled by protracted negotiations over financial compensation for squatters and others who made their homes along the riverbanks.

While the central government and the city administration should be commended for their concern, one gets the feeling that they have not done enough. Judging by the first few floods of this rainy season, they certainly have not been quick enough. This is typical of our bureaucracy: long in planning but short and slow in action. Unfortunately, the rainy season does not wait for bureaucracy to catch up.

It would not be fair to expect the bureaucracy to deal with the flood problem alone. Such a herculean task can only be carried out with the support of the entire community.

We can no longer remain indifferent to the floods. But unfortunately aloofness is the prevailing attitude we find. The havoc we saw earlier this year and the threat of even bigger floods afflicting our city obviously have not really sunk into the minds of most officials and residents. These lessons must be learned now, lest the city literally sinks next time we have another exceptionally heavy downpour.