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Adaptation of local wisdom key to flood control in Jakarta, say experts
Amid the never-ending debate about whether river "normalization" or "naturalization" projects are better, some experts have urged policymakers to shift from such a conventional approach focusing on hard infrastructure to flood adaptation.
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Floodwaters inundate a residential area in Tengah subdistrict, Kramat Jati district of East Jakarta on Monday. (Kompas.com/Tengah subdistrict)
T
he extreme rainfall that hit Jakarta at the start of the year seems to have eased in the past weeks, but flooding remains in some parts of the capital after normal downpours.
Residents of Kebon Pala in Kampung Melayu and Tengah in Kramat Jati in East Jakarta were hit by floods up to a maximum of 1 meter in depth on Tuesday.
Amid the never-ending debate about whether river "normalization" or "naturalization" projects are better, some experts have urged policymakers to shift from such a conventional approach focusing on hard infrastructure to flood adaptation.
Living in harmony with floods is crucial to reducing damage, according to Adam Madigliani Prana, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Flooding is not an unusual phenomenon for the city, even since the Dutch colonial era.
Adam, who is doing a doctoral thesis on communities adapting to flood-prone environments, cited a book written by urban development experts Kelly Shannon and Bruno de Meulder in 2013.
The canal system that was built in Batavia -- the old name of Jakarta during the Dutch colonial rule -- and which removed water from the city and covered riverbanks in concrete, is unsuited to the city's geography.
The heavy flow and high turbidity of Jakarta’s rivers, in combination with water-impermeable infrastructure, leads to a greater risk of flooding because of faster silt-up, Adam said.
