Sutiyoso rejects idea to build lake at Monas

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Governor Sutiyoso rejected on Friday the idea of building a lake at the National Monument (Monas) park in an effort to reduce flooding in the city, saying that it was not feasible.

"It's not feasible (to build a lake) in the park. We will regreen the park and make it a 'lung' for the city," Sutiyoso said after Friday prayers in the Lemah Abang area, Bekasi.

State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim had earlier suggested that a lake could be built in the 82-hectare park, located in Central Jakarta, in an effort to reduce flooding.

The city was severely hit by the floods, which lasted almost a month from Jan. 28. It affected almost all parts of the city, and for the first time, it deluged "untouchable areas", such as the yard in front f Merdeka Palace on Jl. Merdeka Utara.

The city administration has been criticized for its failure to control the flooding.

One of the causes of the floods, according to experts, is the badly drawn up city masterplan, which resulted in the conversion of green areas into "yellow" areas, to allow for the construction of housing and commercial development.

There are also violations in the use of Monas park as a green area.

Last year, the administration was criticized for permitting a private company to erect a temporary exhibition building in the park. A part of the park was damaged after the expo was over.

The park has often been used by military and police officers to accommodate tents for personnel helping to secure a number of important buildings around the park, including Merdeka Palace.

A number of projects costing billions of rupiah have been carried out to restore Monas park.

Today, there are many street traders, especially food vendors, who operate in the park in a disorganized fashion.

At night, many transvestites and prostitutes can be found seeking clients there.

Sutiyoso said that the administration would build a fence around the park to prevent street traders from getting in."There will be four gates controlling entry to the park aimed also at preventing vendors from getting in."

He said pedestrian walkways would also be built inside the park so that Jakartans could use it for taking exercise, like many parks in other countries.

"We have produced a design and reported it to the President. The park will no longer look like a slum," Sutiyoso said.

The city administration has allocated Rp 69 billion (US$6.9 million) in the 2002 city budget for a greening program at several places in the city, including Monas park.