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Editorial: The yet-completed flood canal
The Jakarta administration has eventually managed to acquire all the land needed to construct the 22
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he Jakarta administration has eventually managed to acquire all the land needed to construct the 22.37-kilometer East Flood Canal (BKT) - a project delayed for almost a century - which is designed to protect the eastern part of the capital city from the worsening annual flooding.
We appreciate the hard work of the relevant parties who have managed to acquire 250 hectares of land, despite facing tough challenges from landowners and speculators who had demanded compensation higher than market prices. But, at the same time, we would like to remind Governor Fauzi Bowo that there are still unfinished jobs to do before being able to claim that the project is completed.
Together with the West Flood Canal (BKB), the BKT was designed by Dutch engineer Herman van Breen in 1918 when he devised a semi-circular canal to accommodate the runoff from the 13 major rivers across the city. The then Dutch administration managed to complete the BKB project, while the BKT project was only revived in the early *70s.
Further, in 2003, then president Megawati Soekarnoputri kicked off the construction of the joint BKT project by the city administration and the central government worth nearly Rp 5 trillion (US$515 million). Since then, the city administration has started to acquire the land, while the construction work has been carried out by the central government.
As indicated by its name, the main function of the project is to ease the annual flooding in the eastern part of the city, covering some 270 square kilometers. Its effectiveness in mitigating the flood will soon face the first test in a few weeks when the rainy season will reach its peak sometime later this month or early next month.
Governor Fauzi, however, should not forget the other noble ideas behind the planned establishment of the canals: as tourist attraction sites, infrastructure for water transportation and a center of economic growth.
The city administration has an opportunity to make the BKT a pilot project on how the city treats its rivers properly. It is obvious that many rivers in the city often function as dumpsites for household garbage and even human waste.
The city administration, therefore, should refer to the design introduced in 2003 when Megawati launched the project: that the canal width should be between 100 and 360 meters; that it should provide inspection roads along the canal bank; and that the canal should be deep enough to become a water transportation facility.
To sum up, we would like to remind the relevant parties within the city administration there are still many things to do before being able to declare the project completed, and that it could be put on a par with similar multifunctional canals other world cities have and manage to benefit from when they treat their rivers properly.
