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Prevent Jakarta from further sinking: Jokowi
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Motorists drive through floodwater at the Taman Ratu housing complex in West Jakarta on Feb. 28. Environmentalists have long blamed the worsening flooding in Jakarta partly on subsidence in the capital city. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has expressed concern about land subsidence in Jakarta, which is sinking at an increasingly rapid rate, and he called on all relevant parties to prevent further subsidence.
"From the data I have received, the land subsidence in Jakarta is already very worrying, an average of 7.5 - 12 centimeters [annually]," Jokowi said when opening a meeting on the Jakarta reclamation project, or the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD), at the Presidential Office on Wednesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Jokowi said the land subsidence had prevented several rivers from flowing into Jakarta Bay. "For this reason, the management of water and the environment in Jakarta must be integrated, from the headwaters to downstream," he said.
As the country’s capital city, Jakarta must have the proper defense and support for a sustainable environment, the President added.
"In the provision of clean water, drinking water and also the mitigation of land subsidence, waste water management, river revitalization and flooding," said Jokowi.
The development in Jakarta Bay under the NCICD scheme would be the answer for Jakarta, said the President, referring to the construction of 17 islets in Jakarta Bay.
When asked about the Jakarta reclamation, all parties should focus on dealing with strategies to anticipate the prospects of the city’s environment up to 2030.
"During my recent visit to The Netherlands, I saw the water management of The Netherlands, including water supply, sanitation and other issues," Jokowi said.
He also underlined the importance of reclamation to support the construction of city infrastructure. “It will also later relate to the development of ports, airports, highways and mass transportation that will all have to be well integrated," Jokowi said. (liz/bbn)
