Tiny Bogor lakes no match for flood

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post/Bogor

At least 32 of 93 small lakes for flood control in Bogor, West Java are damaged, according to an official in the city.

The head of the Bogor Public Works agency, Nurhayanti said the 32 lakes were getting shallower every year due to excess sedimentation and weeds, reducing their ability to contain water, and that could increase the likelihood of flooding in Jakarta.

"The lakes are very important for water catchment during the rainy season. If they function well, much of the water can be contained and thus avert possible floods in Jakarta," she told The Jakarta Post.

The lakes include Cisarua, Megamendung, Ciawi, Cibinong and Cileungsi, which average between 2 hectares and 35 hectares in size.

The central government, along with the West Java provincial administration and Bogor regental administration agreed in May 2004 to restore the lakes.

"The problem is that all of the lakes are still under the central government's authority. In fact, many private companies have made proposals to manage some of the lakes, but we are still waiting for the decision from the central government," said Nurhayanti.

She said only 61 lakes function well in holding and controlling water volume flowing to Jakarta every year.

Many meteorologists have said that heavy rains in upstream areas of Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur could cause flooding in Jakarta.

With 13 rivers flowing into Jakarta from those areas, flooding, to some degree, has become an annual occurrence in the capital, 40 percent of which is at or below sea level.

Two years ago, Jakarta experienced its worst-ever flood, which paralyzed most of the capital, claiming 31 lives and leaving 300,000 people homeless.

Nurhayanti said that the government should immediately take action to restore the catchment areas, either by cleaning or dredging them.

"The central government, the West Java administration and the Bogor administration should work together to solve the problem," she said.

In 2004, the Bogor administration could only restore three lakes and it cost them Rp 713 million. All of the funds were taken from the regency's budget.

"West Java managed also to repair three lakes while the central government has only restored two," Nurhayanti said.

She explained that the central government only focused on lakes in the central part of Bogor, where the Ciliwung river is located as it most directly affects the water condition of Jakarta.