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City seeks to retain more rainwater to prevent flooding
Jakarta has tried many ways to mitigate flooding, and the latest one is to catch more stormwater
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Jakarta has tried many ways to mitigate flooding, and the latest one is to catch more stormwater.
“We want to do more to retain more of the water to control the volume of water going downstream,” Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said on Monday.
The city administration recently issued Gubernatorial Regulation No. 31/2019 on the integrated development and revitalization of water resources through the concept of naturalization, which is to become the administration’s approach of choice in flood mitigation.
The regulation stipulates that the approach comprises the development of green open spaces to improve water-retention capacity, flood mitigation and conservation.
This year, the administration expects to apply the naturalization concept in five locations, namely along the Ciliwung River at the West Flood Canal and on Jl. Krapu in North Jakarta as well as at three reservoirs: on the eastern side of the South Sunter reservoir in North Jakarta, the Kampung Rambutan reservoir in East Jakarta and the Cimanggis reservoir in South Jakarta.
The Jakarta Water Resources Agency’s official in charge of the naturalization effort, Yose Rizal, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the project for the river would cost Rp 56 billion (US$3.97 million) and another Rp 106 billion would be needed for the three reservoirs.
Jakarta gubernatorial assistant for development and the environment Yusmada Faizal explained recently that the approach was meant to catch stormwater in the ground prior to it flowing downstream. Therefore, the concept would also support groundwater conservation.
Yusmada brushed off recent brouhaha over the terms used: naturalization and restoration, saying that the two promoted a similar concept. “What is important is the revitalization of water resources.”
Bambang Hidayah of the Public Works and Housing Ministry’s Ciliwung-Cisadane Flood Control Office (BBWSCC) told the Post that the office supported the naturalization concept, as it focused on the river water capacity.
However, he emphasized that a rearrangement of riverbanks was still needed, as the office had studied the Ciliwung River, the city’s main river, and the administration had to comply with the design requirements.
Trisakti University urban expert Nirwono Joga said concerns over terminology should not get in the way of progress on flood mitigation.
He said river stream mapping would help the administration decide in which areas of the river the naturalization approach was the best, in which restoration was more suitable and where a combination of the two was called for.
“Whatever approach is chosen, the Jakarta administration must widen the river, so that the water capacity increases and the river banks are improved. This means the administration should relocate residents [away from the riverbanks],” he said.
According to data from the Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) made available to the Post, the administration has allocated Rp 3.48 trillion, or 4.3 percent of this year’s city budget, for flood mitigation efforts.
The city administration is seeking to expand flood mitigation efforts and add Rp 70 trillion worth of raw water supply through a 10-year public infrastructure project. The project is expected to be funded through public-private partnerships.
In an effort to cooperate with other regions on flood mitigation, Anies said his administration would continue to cooperate with the administration of Bogor in West Java.
Refusing to elaborate further, the governor only said that his side would detail the cooperation through the acceleration of a one-map policy (PKSP) forum.
The PKSP is a national information portal to serve as a point of reference for land use planning through the integration of 83 thematic maps by all government institutions and the general public.
As an example of cooperation, Anies cited the central government’s ongoing development of two dry dams, Sukamahi and Ciawi, both in Bogor, which would help reduce the city’s flood risk by 12 percent.
The two dry dams are expected to be completed this year.
