D

uring a flood-anticipation coordination meeting at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry office in South Jakarta, Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama offered a helping hand to neighboring cities and regencies in Greater Jakarta.

Present during the meeting were Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Ma'€™arif, Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi and South Tangerang Mayor Arief
Wismansyah as well as several Jakarta administration officials such as Jakarta Financial Management Board head Heru Budi Hartono, Public Works Agency head Agus Priyono and Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) head Andi Baso.

Ahok urged mayors and regents in Greater Jakarta to not hesitate in asking the Jakarta administration for help on flood mitigation.

'€œFlooding in areas in Greater Jakarta will have a negative impact on Jakarta. Therefore, we are ready to help in any way we can,'€ Ahok told reporters at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry after the meeting.

The city administration annually distributes billions of rupiah in grants to neighboring cities. Among other things, most of the funds are used for flood mitigation. This year, the city has agreed to distribute at least Rp 100 billion (US$7.7 million) each to Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang.

Ahok has also repeatedly said that the city was overflowing with money and offered to fund various projects in neighboring areas.

He went on that the Jakarta administration would further coordinate with heads of neighboring cities in anticipation of the annual flooding, which is expected to peak next January.

He also called for transparency in distributing funds for disaster mitigation in order to prevent corruption.

'€œThe use of disaster relief funds should be done in a transparent manner so as not to trigger corruption and misuse,'€ he said.

Ahok added that the city would have heavy equipment and portable water pumps on standby in case of inundation. The heavy equipment and pumps would be used not only in Jakarta but also in neighboring cities.

'€œWe will put this equipment near flood-prone areas so we can mobilize and put it to use at any sign of flooding,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, the public works and public housing minister said that the city administration was prepared to face the annual flooding as the city'€™s infrastructure had been improved in the last year.

'€œWe have coordinated with one another. The ministry has checked the water pumps in Jakarta. We'€™ve also checked the water sluice in Manggarai and Karet in South Jakarta. The capacity at both water sluices has been increased,'€ Ahok said, adding that the BNPB would assist in case of an emergency.