More floods coming to Pondok Labu: BNPB

Floods that hit Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, on Sunday, are by no means over as the rainy season is expected to peak in January-March, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) says.

More floods are anticipated in the area because Pondok Labu is not only affected by heavy rainfalls and poor drainage, but also the reduced capacity of the Krukut River, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Tuesday.

“Initially, the river was 16 meters wide but now it is only 2 meters wide in some areas. Due to sedimentation, the narrowing of the river and the use

of land along the riverbanks, the river’s flow capacity is only 30 percent of the anticipated flood rate … So floods are inevitable,” Sutopo says in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

To resolve the issue, a Krukut River restoration program needs to be implemented as soon as possible, in the hope that the river’s capacity can be returned to normal, he says.

“What is important is to make the river wider again to increase its capacity,” Sutopo says.