T

he Jakarta administration and the Dutch government are planning to cooperate in constructing an underground tunnel to connect Katulampa sluice gate in Bogor, East Java, to Jakarta'€™s north coast.

Katulampa sluice gate often causes flash flooding downstream on the Ciliwung River in East Jakarta, resulting in floods in areas such as Kampung Pulo.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said the pipes would greatly help reduce downstream flooding caused by overflowing rainwater from the Katulampa sluice gate.

'€œWe are thinking of installing pipes to connect Katulampa to the north coast. The concept will be similar to our ongoing underground tunnel project. It will have a capacity of 60 cubic meters of water per second,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall in Central Jakarta after a courtesy call with Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Rob Swartbol on Friday.

Ahok was referring to the ongoing construction of a 1.27-kilometer underground tunnel that will connect the Ciliwung River to the East Flood Canal (KBT), built by state-owned PT Wijaya Karya.

When completed, the tunnel will have a flow capacity of at least 60 cubic meters per second. The tunnel is expected to ease the load of the Ciliwung River, which often overflows and causes major floods.

'€œThe tunnel would stretch for 30 to 40 km from the sluice gate to the north coast. We will ask for help from the Netherlands to install the pipes because they understand the technology better than we do,'€ Ahok said.

He went on to say that if the idea was feasible, the planned construction of Ciawi Reservoir in Bogor, West Java, could be canceled. Ahok said the money needed to install the pipes was less than that required to build the reservoir.

'€œIt is much cheaper to develop an underground tunnel than to build a new reservoir,'€ Ahok said.

The Ciawi reservoir is a collaborative project planned between the central government and the Jakarta and Bogor administrations. The reservoir was expected to act as water catchment area in the highlands south of the capital city, to help reduce the impact of floods in Jakarta. The reservoir would need Rp 1.2 trillion (US$90.8 million) for land acquisition and another Rp 1.9 trillion for its physical construction.

Ahok has previously said land acquisition could hamper the reservoir construction, because the reservoir would need at least 100 hectares.

'€œI will consult with the President first,'€ Ahok said.

Separately, Water Management Agency head Agus Priyono said the agency was preparing to conduct a feasibility study to determine the effectiveness and physical construction of the pipes.

'€œWe will conduct a feasibility study first. Hopefully, this system will not only reduce flooding but also provide water that could be processed for consumption,'€ Agus told reporters at City Hall on Friday.

'€”JP/Dewanti A. Wardhani