Sutiyoso in hot water over gridlock, flood

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Angered by Wednesday's gridlock and flooding in many parts of the capital, non-governmental organization the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) opened a hotline on Thursday for Jakartans to lodge complaints -- part of its preparation for class action suit against the city administration.

Fakta leader Azas Tigor Nainggolan told The Jakarta Post the situation in capital was totally "out of control" -- an illustration of the administration's systemic failure to prevent flooding or manage traffic in the city.

Eight-hour heavy rain caused flooding across Jakarta and created crippling traffic jams at major thoroughfares and toll roads. Motorists blocking intersections, motorcyclists sheltering beneath underpasses and fallen trees added to the chaos.

Tigor encouraged the public to provide Fakta information for its class action.

In 2002, Fakta took a similar suit against the administration, following a massive flood in February that claimed at least 30 lives and displaced some 300,000 people. Fakta lost the legal action.

Responding to the group, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said he was confident about facing the suit.

"We are ready. For us, the class action suit is not the most important thing. We're more interested in seeking alternative solutions and getting public feedback to prevent the (flooding and traffic jams) from reoccurring in the future," he said at City Hall.

Sutiyoso said natural causes, not his administration, were to blame.

Forty percent of Jakarta's area was below sea level so it was prone to flooding, he said.

He also blamed the stalled East Flood Canal project for the floods, due to problems with land acquisition. The canal and the existing West Flood canal are expected to help control 13 rivers flowing through the city to reduce possible flooding.

Jakarta Public Order Agency head Soebagio, however, put the blame on the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) for not warning the administration.

The public order agency supervises the flood crisis center at City Hall.

However, Jakarta Public Works Agency head Fodly Misbach said Wednesday's downpour was relatively rare.

"The BMG said Wednesday's heavy and uninterrupted precipitation was the first such downpour since 1971. The abnormality was partly influenced by the changing global climate since 1996," he said, quoting a BMG release.

Fodly attributed much of the flooding to four off-line water pumps at the Melati dam in Central Jakarta.

Four new pumps at the dam had been installed recently, he said. However, four of the older pumps, had been moved to a new location at the dam had not been reinstalled by Wednesday.

That was why most of the flooded areas were in Central Jakarta, he said.

Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno pointed to clogged up drains in the city as the main cause.

The West Flood Canal should have been able to accommodate Wednesday's rainfall if the drains were working properly, he said.

Residents who wish to file complaints can contact Fakta by telephone on 021-4715730 or by mail to Jl. Bojana Tirta II No. 1, Pisangan Timur, East Jakarta 13230.