Tough duty, low payment color gatekeeper's life
Tough duty, low payment color gatekeeper's life
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor
Whenever the annual floods hit Jakarta, many people in the
capital are quick to point the finger of blame at Bogor, known as
"Rain City".
Great attention is paid to the Ciliwung-Katulampa dam in Bogor
regency, the most crucial sluice in the area, especially during
the rainy season from October to April. This is the floodgate
that controls the water level of the Ciliwung River, which flows
through Jakarta.
Andi Sudirman, 36, is one of five gatekeepers at the dam whose
duties and responsibilities are far greater than their salaries.
"We gatekeepers have the hardest time whenever the water level
at the dam rises above normal. If we open the gate to the
Ciliwung River, the water might overflow and flood the capital.
If we open the other gate to the Kali Baru irrigation canal, the
water will inundate nearby houses because the width of the canal
is narrower than that of the river," he told The Jakarta Post in
a recent interview.
As long as the water level at the dam remains between 50 and
80 centimeters on the measuring board, then all is normal.
The gatekeepers get busy alerting Jakarta's floodgate keepers
when the water level exceeds 200 centimeters on the measuring
board.
Andi has worked at the dam for 15 years. While the other
gatekeepers are elementary and junior high school graduates, Andi
is a high school graduate. But his superior education hasn't
translates into more money.
"I'm still an employee, earning Rp 300,000 (US$35) a month,
while the others have been civil servants since 1993. I have
taken the civil servant admission test three times, but I always
fail. Maybe it's because I have no connections or money to pay a
bribe," the father of two said.
His meager salary has forced Andi to take a side job as an
ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver.
Andi began working as a water duct controller in 1987 with the
Bogor chapter of state-enterprise Public Works, now the Public
Works Agency. Ten years later, he was assigned as the gatekeeper
at the Ciliwung-Katulampa dam.
As the most senior gatekeeper, Andi is a reliable source of
information for university students working on experiments and
their theses, as well as reporters seeking information on the dam
and the current water level.
"Every year during the rainy season, I can receive up to 300
phone calls a day, not only from reporters but also residents
living near the banks of the Ciliwung River, such as those in
Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. Their main question is if the water
level at the dam is still normal," he said.
The water level at the dam is only one of a few factors
leading to flooding in Jakarta. The people's habit of treating
river as garbage dumps and the decreasing number of water
catchment areas in the capital also contribute to the flooding.
Andi said that every year in early October, the Jakarta
administration installed a two-way radio at the dam so it could
receive information on the water level.
"But it's different this year, maybe because the water level
is still normal," he said.