Tangerang has no flood funds

TANGERANG: The Tangerang mayoralty has said that it has no funds to deal with the floods that are expected during the coming rainy season.

The deputy chairman of the mayoralty's legislative body, Burhanuddin, said here last Saturday that flood prevention along the Cisadane River alone would cost some Rp 1.2 trillion.

He said flood prevention programs in Tangerang had to involve the central government, Banten province and the Tangerang mayoralty.

"The mayoralty cannot deal with the flood problem by itself," he said, adding that flood prevention programs had to involve other administrations because rivers usually flowed through a number of areas before emptying into the sea.

The legislator from the National Awakening Party (PAN) said the massive flooding in February in Tangerang was mainly caused by the overflow of the Cisadane River. The flooding inundated almost 17,500 houses in the mayoralty, with water reaching 2.4 meters in height.

The worst affected areas included the Total Persada housing complex in Periuk district and the Pondok Arum housing complex in Karawaci district. --JP