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Flood mitigation, water conservation require public participation
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Workers from the Park and Cemetery Agency install ‘biopori’ (mini water catchment) holes in Karet Bivak Public Cemetery, Central Jakarta, on June 22. ‘Biopori’ accelerate the absorption of excess water during rainy season. (Antara Foto/Reno Esnir)
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n a bid to save Jakarta from the triple threat of flooding, water shortages and land subsidence, the Jakarta administration is racing to build vertical drainage systems throughout the city.
The administration has built 761 drainage systems, out of the target 1,000 for this year, but it needs 1.8 million to be installed to achieve a flood-free city, based on an administration calculation.
Therefore, the city is calling on residents to help reach that goal.
“What is important is that we make residents aware that they should participate. Residents manage the water overflow within their household while the administration manages the overflow on the road. That is the partnership [needed]. When both parties collaborate, Insya Allah [God willing] Jakarta will be free from flooding and become an example for other cities,” said water and hydrology expert Fatchy Muhammad during a recent discussion at City Hall in Central Jakarta.
Fatchy explained that vertical drainage took advantage of high levels of rainfall in the rainy season to better manage the water supply during the dry season.
There are several benefits to installing vertical drainage systems. They help to replenish groundwater by speeding up the “recharge” process, especially considering the high level of groundwater extraction for city residents’ daily use given the low coverage of tap water in the capital.
The city’s tap water, managed by two private companies, PT PAM Lyonnaise Jakarta (Palyja) and PT Aetra Air Jakarta (Aetra), currently covers just over 60 percent of households.
