Locals blame flooding on new Marine facility

Residents in Pondok Labu, Cilandak, South Jakarta, blamed inundation in their neighborhood on the construction of a new shooting range operated by the Indonesian Marine Corps.

“I have lived in the neighborhood for the past 20 years and never saw water rising this high. This happened soon after the Marine Corps decided to expand the facility, which prompted reclamation of part of the [Krukut] river,” resident Rahmat said, referring to a river separating the Marine Corps shooting range and the neighborhood.

“The water was neck-high earlier this morning,” he said.

Water from the river overflowed the housing complex after hours of heavy rain on early Monday, prompting more than 250 families to evacuate to higher ground.

On Monday afternoon the water receded to half a meter deep, allowing the evacuees to return home.

Local authorities and political parties set up emergency shelters to deliver aid to the evacuees.

Locals have said that residents in the neighborhood had opposed the Marine Corps’ plan to reclaim part of the river, narrowing the flow from six meters to just two meters wide.

They also complained about the marine’s plans to build concrete reinforcement of the riverbanks.

Abdullah, another resident, said that the marines even had plans to relocate some homes that were affected by the expansion project.

“A middleman came to us and offered Rp 500,000 (US$56.5) per square meter as compensation. No deal had been struck yet and of course we can’t accept the price they set,” he said.

“We can relocated if they offer at least Rp 2 million per square meter,” Abdullah said.

Community leader Rafael Tokan said locals had sent letters to the management of the shooting range expressing their opposition to the project.

The residents have also lodged a complaint with the governor’s office.

“The project went ahead without our approval,” Rafael said.

Jakarta Marine Corps chief Col. Hadirmo denied the claim, saying that the reinforcement project was part of an effort to prevent erosion from flooding in the military complex.

On Monday, Governor Fauzi Bowo toured the flood-affected areas and ordered dredging of the river and the expedition of land acquisition for construction of a dam in the area.

He said that the city government now had one hectare of land prepared for the construction of the dam.

“We need 1.6 hectares and we will pay compensation to people affected by the project based on existing regulations,” he said.

Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono, who also toured the area, called on residents in the area to prepare themselves for the wet season.

“There will be high intensity rains in the coming days, but don’t panic. The central government and the local administration will work together [in anticipation],” Agung said.

The Jakarta administration has earmarked Rp 5 billion for a flood-mitigation project this year. The money was withdrawn from Rp 12 billion of the City Public Works Agency’s reserve funds.

The Rp 3 billion of the total budget will be allocated to fund the operational costs of flood mitigation, while the rest will be used to procure equipment. (swd)