REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Authorities in Jakarta plan to acquire more water pumps and strengthen dykes to tackle floods that hit the capital city frequently, an official said.
"A number of infrastructure and facilities are currently under construction," Head of the Jakarta Water Management Department, Agus Priyono, said here on Thursday.
The administration of Jakarta is accelerating efforts to elevate sea dykes and to install more water pumps, in accordance with the existing master plan on flood handling.
"In downstream areas, we plan to install six big water pumps in river estuaries. These include the Kamal Pump, Angke Pump, Marina Pump, Karang Pump, Sentiong Pump, and Sunter Hilir Pump," Priyono affirmed.
The installation of the pumps will commence this year, and is expected to be completed within two or three years.
"The water pumps are expected to mitigate tidal floods that hit northern coastal areas in Jakarta frequently," he stated.
Furthermore, to optimize efforts towards the prevention of floods, a number of dykes must also be elevated, he added.
The dykes to be elevated will include those in Kamal, Tanjungan, Kali Asin, Luar Batang, RE Martadinata, Cilincing, and Marunda.
The sea dykes in coastal areas in northern Jakarta will extend up to 32 kilometers.
Incessant heavy downpours triggered floods in parts of Jakarta on Sunday and Monday.
According to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD), the floods were not caused by the overflow of rivers alone, but were also a consequence of a poor drainage system and bad land spatial planning.
Work in several business and commercial centers in Jakarta, such as in the areas of Mangga Dua and Kelapa Gading, have been halted due to flooding.
Moreover, Governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok had suspected that the flooding in the capital city was an act of sabotage.
"This morning (February 9), I woke up at 2 a.m. because of the rain. When I checked the CCTV camera footage, I found that the one in Istiqlal was turned off. I suspected that the palace was flooded and that it could be an act of sabotage or a deliberate action. All waterways were functioning well, so flooding should have been impossible," Ahok noted in his office, which was also inundated, on Monday (February 9).
In addition, some 5,986 residents of Jakarta were forced to evacuate to safer places, as the floods continued to inundate the capital city on Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
"As many as 5,986 people are taking refuge in 14 locations. This figure might increase because we are still awaiting more data from field officers," spokesman for the BNPB, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, noted on Tuesday.
The BPBD reported that floods affected 307 neighborhoods in 97 urban villages in 33 sub-districts.
"The floods have affected 4,830 families, comprising 15,517 people, as their houses are inundated. Some 5,986 people are taking refuge in temporary shelters," he revealed.
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