Tangerang gears up to welcome floods

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Last year's massive floods did not only affect Jakarta but also its surrounding satellite cities, including Tangerang.

Water blocked the Jakarta-Tangerang toll road, causing massive congestion that paralyzed the capital as the only access connecting Java and Sumatra islands was cut.

To avoid such a calamity from repeating, the Tangerang municipality administration has launched a number of initiatives, including dredging the rivers and setting up a crisis prevention team.

Tangerang municipality spokesman Chaeruddin told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the administration had been dredging the Cisadane, Angke and Sabi rivers.

The dredging project has been focused on the Cisadane river, particularly along a 500-meter stretch starting from Putra bridge to the Pintu Sepuluh dike, which has been financed by the Banten provincial administration.

Chaeruddin said the total budget needed for dredging the rivers, waterways and building water embankment was around Rp 1.3 trillion (US$152.94 million).

"However, the administration can only allocate Rp 5 billion from its annual budget," he said.

"With such a limited budget, we could only minimize possible floods at 48 flood-prone areas throughout the municipality."

Chaeruddin said it would be impossible to prevent flooding in Tangerang as many water catchment areas had been turned into concrete jungles.

"It's the former municipality administration's fault for giving permits to developers to build housing complexes in green areas," he said.

Around 5,000 houses in Periuk, Jatiuwung, Karawaci, Pinang and Cipondoh districts are flooded on an almost annual basis.

The massive floods in both Tangerang municipality and the regency last year also resulted in a temporary but staggering 20 percent increase in unemployment as many factories had to stop production.

The floods also damaged 3,716 hectares of rice fields in the regency, causing farmers to suffer Rp 1.5 billion (US$176,471) in financial losses.

"To anticipate possible floods in the coming rainy season, we have also established a flood prevention crisis center," Chaeruddin said, adding that the center had been equipped with rubber dinghies, tents, lamps, ropes and water pumps.

Tangerang municipal secretary Wahidin Halim said the administration had already instructed all subdistricts and districts to jointly work with residents, particularly in flood- prone areas.

Sukarman, from the Cisadane-Cidurian river control, said he and fellow officers were assigned to monitor the Cisadane river water levels at the Pintu Sepuluh sluice gate in Pasar Baru district.

"The water level until today is still eight meters high. If the water level rises to nine meters, we have to be in the first alert status," Sukarman said, adding that the most dangerous status is if the water level reaches 13 meters high.

Officers at the unit must quickly contact the crisis prevention center which will later inform all subdistricts and districts officers to alert the residents.

The center will also prepare its rescue teams to help evacuate floods victims and set up shelters and public kitchens for the evacuees.

Sukarman said that all staff must remain alert as the peak of the rainy season was expected in January and February.