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Flood-prone Bekasi has insufficient rubber boats: Councillor
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Vehicles trundle along the Cikampek toll road in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java,. Flooding created severe tailbacks on the highway. (Antara/Andi Saddam)
T
he Bekasi administration in West Java only has three rubber boats – too little, a city councillor has said, given the threat of flooding that haunts the city.
Bekasi councillor Ahmad Ustuchri said the Bekasi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Bekasi), as the city’s frontline agency in dealing with natural disasters, should have more, given the size of the city and the number of sites prone to flooding.
“The BPBD should immediately propose the procurement of more rubber boats. They are important in times of flooding, and having only three is obviously insufficient,” Ahmad said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.
Bekasi Deputy Mayor Tri Adhianto dismissed the idea, saying the number was sufficient, because there were other agencies that could be called upon when needed.
“Other agencies have [boats] as well, such as the Environment Agency and the Bina Marga Road Agency. We will coordinate [with them],” he said, adding that other government institutions, such as the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police, would also be involved in disaster mitigation efforts.
The administration has recorded at least 49 areas across the city that are prone to flooding, with the worst ones located in Rawalumbu, Bantar Gebang, Jatiasih, East Bekasi, South Bekasi and West Bekasi and Medan Satria. (fac)
