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Sandbags must hold back the tide until July
Coastal residents in North Jakarta will have to rely on sandbags to hold off tidal waves until July, as the administration continues its tender process for the reconstruction of the embankment that holds water from the Java sea
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Coastal residents in North Jakarta will have to rely on sandbags to hold off tidal waves until July, as the administration continues its tender process for the reconstruction of the embankment that holds water from the Java sea.
"We're still profiling the candidates for the projects. We hope we'll sign contracts with the (tender) winners in July," the head of technology development division of the Public Works Agency, Fakhrurrazi, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He said his agency had allocated Rp 15 billion (US$1.6 million) in the 2008 budget to repair several parts of the broken embankment on the northern coast of Jakarta.
The administration plans to renovate sections of the embankment in Luar Batang, Pluit Dam, Muara Karang and Muara Angke, and will work with Nizam Zachman fishing port in Muara Baru and port operator PT Pelindo for the embankment reconstruction.
"We will elevate the sections by one to 1.2 meters from its existing height, so that it will be three to 3.2 meters high," he said.
On Thursday morning, a tidal flood saw the temporary closure of the toll road between Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Jakarta, resulting in dozens of flight delays.
Since last year, the collapsing part of the embankment near the airport has caused frequent floods on the turnpike each time tidal waves hit the area.
Residents in several areas in Muara Baru and Angke regularly endure flooding outside seasonal tides.
According to Fakhrurrazi, the high tide reached 2.14 meters on Thursday night. In November and December, a 2.20-meter high tide submerged Pluit and Penjaringan subdistricts, causing floods and traffic congestion and forcing residents to flee their homes.
Previously, Deputy Governor Prijanto said Thursday that the embankment repairs are expected to finish in October, four months after the city administration finished the tender procedure.
Prijanto said while waiting for the tender process, the administration would have to stall high tides with sandbags and pumps.
Meanwhile, an operator at the Jakarta Crisis Center, Ade, reported Friday afternoon that the Pluit Dam area was still inundated by 40 centimeters and Pasar Ikan by 90 centimeters of water.
"The water is receding and we recorded no victims on Friday, even though the Indonesian Red Cross and the social welfare agency have set up a public kitchen and tents. There were 30 flood victims on Thursday. Perhaps they have returned to their homes," Ade said.
