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ANDUNG: The normalization of Citarum River, West Java, requires Rp 1.3 trillion to be completed, excluding funds required to relocate people living on the banks of the river, Governor Ahmad Heryawan said on Wednesday.

Speaking after co-launching Citarum’s first rehabilitation work with Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto in Bandung, Heryawan said the program would be accompanied by a community empowerment program to educate people living in the area on the importance of maintaining the environment.

For this, he said, he would establish an integrated team comprising all government elements ranging from central to regency/municipal administration levels.

The team is expected to recommend a location where an artificial dam can be built to catch overflowing water from Citarum.“The dam will also hopefully be able to hold as much water as possible before it enters the river stream, so that the water can also be used during the dry season,” Heryawan said.

The dredging and normalization project, which covers a length of 180 kilometers from the upper to lower parts of the river, is expected to be completed in three years.

Djoko still could not say that the measure would serve to negate recurring floods in the Bandung, Purwakarta, Karawang and Bekasi regencies.