Sidoarjo Regency Government Alerts 14 Pump Houses To Face Rainy Seasons

Excavators are used to help clean rivers in Sidoarjo Regency, East Java. ANTARA/Indra Setiawan

The Sidoarjo Regency Government, East Java has alerted 14 pump houses to help deal with puddles during the rainy season in local districts.

Sidoarjo Regent Ahmad Muhdlor said BMKG predicts that the start of the rainy season in the East Java region will occur in the third week of November and the peak of rain will occur in February next year.

"We have alerted dozens of pump houses," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, November 6.

He said other efforts made were the normalization of rivers that were experiencing narrowing and silting as well.

"In addition, the Department of Public Works for Bina Marga and Water Resources also cleans up garbage and wild plants that cover the river flow and dredge river sedimentation," he said.

He conveyed that Sidoarjo Regency as Delta City has many rivers, namely there are 48 large rivers where in the dry season there are currently many wild plants and garbage.

"Facing the upcoming rainy season, one of our efforts is to prevent flooding by optimizing the function of channels and rivers," he said.

The regent, who is familiarly called Gus Muhdlor, said that currently the river normalization and river cleaning of garbage and wild plants are underway.

As in the Jomblong River, Gemurung Village, Gedangan District, the Waru River in Waru District and the Pelayaran River, Tawangsari Village, Taman District.

"Currently, the river normalization that we are doing is on the Pelayaran River, this is the most important thing, 2.7 kilometers long and three months until the end of December 2023," he said.

Second, he said, the Waru River in the Rewwin housing complex is approximately 2 kilometers long and the river flow is cleaned.

"Third, the Jomblong River in Gedangan District which is approximately 1.4 kilometers long," he said.

Gus Muhdlor also mentioned that the Tropodo area in Waru District was also one of the areas that experienced inundation when the rain arrived.

In that area, six pump houses have been built to deal with the seasonal puddles and in the city area there are also pump houses at three points each with two points streamed by the Sidokare River and the other beside the Sidoarjo toll bridge.

"What is in Tropodo Waru, which was originally five pumps, we added one pump house, so there are six pump houses, this is so that the final annual inundation and early in the year can be reduced, 75 percent can be resolved," he said.

The Sidoarjo Regency Government has formed a river cleaning task force that plays an important role in handling river cleanliness, including being responsive quickly when there are rivers full of piles of garbage.

"Their movement is fast, so every time there is a river normalization activity, it will not wait for a contract, it will take a long time, the task force will immediately carry out, all urgent channels will be cleaned by the river cleaning task force," he said.

He also conveyed that maintaining and caring for rivers is not only the duty of the government. However, it is also the responsibility and awareness of the community. The reason is, the impact of river cleanliness will be felt by the community itself, such as the impact on health.

"Let's take care of our river together, by not throwing garbage in the river. Through the Sidoresik program or Sidoarjo Revitalization of the Kali Function, namely we pack it into activities contested between villages/kelurahan, we hope that all levels of society will play a role in maintaining and caring for their respective rivers," he said.

Head of the Public Works Office of Bina Marga and Sidoarjo Water Resources, Dwi Eko Saptono, said that pump houses continue to be alerted at points in the puddle area. There are three areas in Sidoarjo Regency that experience inundation when it rains.

"The highest is in the Tanggulangin District area, which is located in Kedungbanteng Village, Banjarpanji Village, Banjar Asri Village and Kalidawir Village. The villages are inundated due to land subsidence factors around the area," he said.