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Ahok instructs agency to fix pumps before La Nina kicks in
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A Commuter Line train is forced to stop 500 meters before Tanah Abang Station due to flooding on January 17, 2013. JP/Ricky Yudhistira (The Jakarta Post/Ricky Yudhistira)
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akarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has instructed the Water Management Agency to immediately fix four broken water pumps in North Jakarta to prepare for the upcoming La Nina phase.
“From June to July, heavy rain has hit the city. The rain will continue to pour until February next year with the more intensity because of La Nina,” Ahok said at City Hall on Thursday.
The governor said the Presidential Palace was likely to be inundated, as happened in 2015, if the water pumps were not repaired as soon as possible.
He said he suspected the defunct pumps had been “sabotaged” as he was told that the pumps were out of operation due to broken underground cables. The cost of repairing the cables is estimated to reach Rp 200 million (US$15,302).
Ahok said he would pay for the repair costs to speed up the process, as the administration would have to release a calls for tender if it wanted to use money from the regional budget. “I told the agency that I would bear the costs as I suspect that the cables can be bought very cheaply,” Ahok said. (ary)
