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n another effort to solve the capitals, perennial flooding and to sustain its supply of water, Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on dam construction on the Ciliwung River in West Java.

The dams, to be constructed in the upstream area, have the potential to reduce floods by 20 percent and facilitate water supply.

'€œInitially we aimed to build a reservoir but permit issuance stalled that plan so the construction of dams was decided on instead,'€ Dahlan told a press conference at City Hall.

Dahlan said that the initially planned reservoirs would have reduced flooding by 30 percent as they would have had the capacity to hold up to 6,000-cubic-meters of water.

'€œThe dam will be able to confine up to 3,000 cubic meters,'€ he explained, adding that the water would be processed and supplied to the city'€™s residents.

Dahlan and Jokowi agreed that the dams would be managed by a city-owned company.

'€œIt might be [property developer] PT Jakpro or [water operator] PAM Jaya. We can decide later,'€
Jokowi said.

The dikes will be built by the joint venture of state-owned property developer PT Hutama Karya, PT Perusahaan Pengelola Aset and city-owned firms PT Pembangunan Jaya and PAM Jaya.

The dams will be divided into four long storage cascades built in four different places covering a total of 40 hectares.

The budget allocated for the project is Rp 1.2 trillion.

'€œThe project will be funded by state-owned companies and city-owned firms with a ratio of 51:49,'€ Dahlan said, adding the target for completion would be two years and construction would start in the first semester of 2014.

Jokowi'€™s administration introduced a series of programs to alleviate the annual flooding that plagues the capital, including dredging projects and the construction of thousands of percolation pits across
the city.

During a construction inspection of a percolation pit at Surapati Park in Central Jakarta, which is located across from the governor'€™s official residence, on Wednesday afternoon, Jokowi reiterated his commitment to build as many percolation pits as possible during his tenure.

'€œI aim to build at least 2,000. Some are currently under construction, including those in Daan Mogot and Tomang [West Jakarta] as well as the National Monument [Monas] in Central Jakarta. The construction of one pit takes up to three days,'€ he said, adding that the percolation pits would be built in especially flood-prone areas.

Jokowi acknowledged he faced challenges to alleviate the issue.

'€œI am aware that many of Jakarta'€™s water ways are clogged. Cleaning them up all might take three to four years,'€ he said.

'€œDealing with flooding won'€™t be easy. Rotterdam [the Netherlands] needed 200 years,'€ he said.

Jokowi pointed out the importance of cooperation with the neighboring administrations and the central government as the capital'€™s 13 rivers also flowed through other provinces.

The city administration is currently working on dredging projects at the 20-hectare Pluit dam, in North Jakarta and the Ria-Rio reservoir in East Jakarta.