Unstable Soil Suspected as Cause of South Waduk Pluit Road Subsidence and Misalignment
JAKARTA — Residents suspect that unstable soil conditions have caused South Waduk Pluit Road in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, to subside and become misaligned with varying elevation levels.
Syauqi, 24, a local resident, stated that the soil beneath the road is believed to be hollow, making the road surface unstable.
“The soil is unstable. You see, underneath here is hollow. So beneath the ground it’s empty with nothing to support it,” Syauqi said when met by Kompas.com near the location on Friday (27 February 2026).
“Really, if they want to fix it, they should tear it all up because if they just patch it, it will subside again like this. They should properly repair it if they want to,” he added.
Similarly, Geral, 30, a local trader, stated that he had observed the road’s soil gradually sinking over time.
“It wasn’t this bad before. I’ve been watching and the soil has been slowly subsiding,” he told Kompas.com on Thursday.
The damaged road has been repeatedly patched by Bina Tunas Bangsa (BTB) School, but the damage continues to recur.
“It was the school that patched it as far as I know. But that’s how it is—after they patch it, it cracks again and falls apart. There are also a lot of construction vehicles too,” he said.
Kompas.com attempted to seek comment from the Head of the Road, Bridge and Road Facilities Section of the North Jakarta Regional Public Works Agency, Budi Cahyo Wardoyo. However, no response had been received at the time of publication.
The condition of South Waduk Pluit Road in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, has suffered considerable damage. According to Kompas.com’s observations at the location, the damage point is located beside a private school’s basketball court.
The damage extends approximately 100 metres, with cracks and breaks visible along the road surface. The left side of the road from the direction of Penjaringan Metro Police Station towards East Pluit Main Road appears higher than the other side.