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City to have agency focusing on water
As part of its major bureaucratic reform program, the city administration will spin off the water resources unit from the Public Works Agency
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s part of its major bureaucratic reform program, the city administration will spin off the water resources unit from the Public Works Agency.
The separation will take effect next year.
Currently, the Public Works Agency oversees various infrastructure sectors, including roads (Bina Marga) and water resources (rivers and coasts).
Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama said that the spin-off was aimed at improving the agency's, as well as the unit's, performance.
'The area overseen by the agency was too wide. We will spin it off to improve its efficiency. The agency can be more focused on a single sector,' he told reporters in his office on Monday.
The new agency overseeing rivers and coastal areas would focus on water resources, flood control and waste treatment, issues deemed crucial to Jakarta ' home to 10 million people ' which suffers from a scarcity of clean water.
Jakarta is highly dependent on neighboring provinces like Banten and West Java for its water supply.
According to the Jakarta Water Resources Council, the country's capital can only supply 2.2 percent of its total demand for clean water from the Krukut River, with another 80 percent coming from the Jatiluhur Reservoir. Jakarta needs up to 26,938 liters of water per second.
Last year the Jakarta Water Forum (FAJ), consisting of stakeholders in the water sector, proposed a draft of a plan to save Jakarta from a water crisis.
Among the recommendations they proposed were the establishment of an agency tasked with supplying untreated water, improvements to law enforcement to monitor and punish illegal groundwater exploiters and the restoration of all rivers and lakes in Jakarta.
Other provinces like West Java and Central each have an agency focusing on water resources management.
Earlier this month, the central government and several administrations in the Greater Jakarta area signed an agreement to begin the development of the Jatiluhur drinking water treatment system (SPAM Jatiluhur) in West Java, with the aim of boosting water supplies in the area.
SPAM Jatiluhur will be able to produce 5,000 liters of clean water per second. It will provide 4,000 liters of water per second for Jakarta, 300 liters per second for Bekasi municipality and 350 liters per second each for Bekasi regency and Karawang regency.
Meanwhile, after the spin-off the Public Works Agency sub-units would focus on improving neighborhood streets.
'The task was previously the Housing and Administrative Building Agency's, but the task to construct neighborhood streets was related to waterways and the Public Works Agency knows these things better,' he said.
'The units will focus on improving streets in kampung. With smooth road surfaces, local residents can do so many things, like playing and strolling around in the neighborhood. Thus it can provide an open space for neighbors to socialize in,' he said.
While the Public Works Agency will be divided, other agencies would be merged.
According to Ahok, the Spatial Planning Agency and the Building Supervision Agency (P2B) will be combined.
The restructuring program was made possible when the City Council endorsed the revised bylaw on the organization of the city agencies.
The bylaw allows the axing and integration of up to 1,500 positions within the city administration.
Jakarta Employment Agency head I Made Karmayoga said that employees with the Public Works Agency would also be divided into two agencies.
