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AKARTA: Spatial Planning Agency head Wiriyatmoko has announced a limitation on the construction of high-rise buildings in certain areas in South Jakarta.

He said buildings would now only be allowed to cover 20 percent of plots of land in Jagakarsa, Condet and Cipayung districts.

“In other areas, we generally allow buildings to cover 40 percent of a plot of land,” he told reporters on Friday.

Herry Andreas, a researcher from the Bandung Institute of Technology who conducted a study on land subsidence in the city, said excessive use of groundwater was behind 17.5 percent of land subsidence cases.

The study involved 60 areas, mostly located in the northern areas of Jakarta.

“Land subsidence occurred mostly in North Jakarta, and South Jakarta had the least,” he said.

The study found that Muara Baru in North Jakarta had the highest rate of land subsidence, sinking 116 centimeters since 2002.

In the same period, West Cengkareng in West Jakarta has sunk 65 centimeters, Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta 47 centimeters and the Thamrin area in Central Jakarta 15 centimeters. — JP