The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
There is no stopping the rain, but the city administration has made limited progress in protecting the city from floods.
In spite of its comprehensive plan to create a flood shield to stop water from streaming into the city from the south, the construction of the East Flood Canal is slower than expected because of difficulties in acquiring land.
Even though the project is supposed to be finished next year, about 48 percent of the 78.5 hectares of land along the northern border of Jakarta, which is necessary for the canal, has not been acquired.
""We are having trouble because several individuals and institutions are claiming ownership of the same plot of land,"" the secretary of the North Jakarta mayor, Asri Ilyas, told a meeting with City Council Commission D for development on Tuesday.
He said several residents claimed they were the true owners of 19.1 hectares of land in Marunda subdistrict, which was first claimed by state-owned company Kawasan Berikat Nusantara.
With this problem remaining, the administration, along with the public works agency, is hoping to acquire an additional 42.9 hectares of land worth Rp 35 billion, 75 percent of which is in Marunda and 25 percent in Rorotan subdistrict.
At the end of last year, the administration had acquired 36.7 hectares at a cost of Rp 121 billion.
Meanwhile, the administration and the public works agency are facing similar problems acquiring land in East Jakarta, which is affected by the canal's construction.
The head of the Jakarta Public Works Agency, Wisnu Subagya Yusuf, told The Jakarta Post recently that some areas in Malaka Jaya and Malaka Sari subdistricts, which state-owned housing developer PT Perumnas has claimed ownership of, was also acquired by local landowners.
This year, the agency plans to acquire 19.5 hectares of land on the eastern borders of the city for the floodways.
The deputy head of Commission D, Muhayar, recommended the administration hold on to the National Land Agency document stating that Perumnas is the owner.
""We have a very poor land registration process. Many documents can be forged easily by irresponsible individuals,"" he said.
However, Muhayar asked the district and subdistrict authorities to carefully trace each citizen's land claim, because there was always the possibility they were telling the truth.
He urged for the land acquisition process to be completed as soon as possible so the central government could start building the canal.
According to an agreement on the East Flood Canal project, the administration is responsible for land acquisition and the central government for the canal's construction.
The administration is financing 58 percent of the project, while the remainder is financed by the state budget. (06)
