Tangerang gears up to welcome floods

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.