T

he Jakarta administration will penalize Atlantis water park management following an accident that injured four people, including a child, at Ancol Dreamland in North Jakarta.

The acting chief of the Jakarta Construction Supervision and Regulation Agency (P2B), Wiriyatmoko, said Wednesday that the agency had deployed a team to investigate the accident.

“There will be an audit by a consultant before the management is allowed to rebuild the collapsed structure,” Wiriyatmoko said.

Wiriyatmoko said, however, that the form of penalty would be decided in accordance with the investigation’s findings.

Last Sunday, a cement-based decorative wall of a water slide of the Atlantis Water Adventure park collapsed.

A preliminary investigation found that the decorative structure, which was made of ferrocement, collapsed due to corrosion.

Ferrocement is a mixture of cement and sand reinforced with layers of woven steel mesh and steel rods. The mixture is largely used to form relatively thin, compound curved sheets.

“Corrosion in the steel rods and supporting beams led to the collapse of the cement structure,” Wiriyatmoko said.

The corrosion, he said, was caused by a high salt level in the air in the coastal area.

“Metal structures in such an area should be coated and checked more frequently. Saline air from Jakarta Bay is more corrosive on steel,” said Wiriyatmoko, who is also the head of the City Spatial Planning Agency.

Wiriyatmoko said that the accident would be noted by the city administration for future reference.

“We will introduce closer supervision and evaluation when the management files a permit proposal to rebuild the slide,” he said

The North Jakarta Police have sealed off the seven-meter-high slide. Pademangan Police chief Comr. Ahmad David said that initial investigation by the police also found salt-triggered corrosion was the culprit of the accident.

The injured, identified as Anggiat Silitonga, 31, Sulastri, 31, Rianto, 31, and Riki Alvian, 11, sustained cuts and bruises in the accident.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol company secretary, Budi Rochiyardi, acknowledged that Ancol Dreamland may have failed to make thorough maintenance checks during regular monitoring of all rides and structures inside the amusement park.

The collapse of the cement structure was the second accident in less than three months at the amusement park.

Fifteen panicked passengers were stuck in their seats in late July this year when the Tornado thrill ride stalled.

— JP/ Andreas D. Arditya