Acting Governor Of DKI Says Land Reduction Makes Rob Floods Worse

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Teguh Setyabudi (third from right)/PHOTO: Diah Ayu-VOI

JAKARTA - Jakarta has been hit by coastal flooding or tidal flooding in recent times. The tidal flood occurred in line with the full moon phase which caused sea tides to increase and overflow to the mainland.

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Teguh Setyabudi, said that there are other factors that exacerbate tidal flooding, namely land subsidence that continues to occur. In fact, currently there are several lands in Jakarta that are lower than sea level.

"For the tidal waves that are now being discussed a lot, there are various reasons. Among other things, the condition of the land that always drops, is one of the causes," said Teguh at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Tuesday, December 17.

Currently, the government is implementing the construction of coastal embankments and sea embankments in the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project. The goal is to prevent tides from entering the mainland.

The target is that the construction of the coastal embankment which is currently still being carried out will stretch along 39 kilometers. However, Teguh admitted that there are still 16 kilometers of embankments that have not been built.

"Indeed, among them is the responsibility of the central government, there is a responsibility of the DKI government. So what has not been built is 16.1 kilometers, 3.3 plus 12.8 (kilometers). There are areas that have not been built, that's where the tidal wave has hit. There are about 3.9 km that have not been built. So if the embankment has not been built, the tidal wave will definitely enter," said Teguh.

Meanwhile, Acting Head of the Water Resources Office, Ika Agustun Ningrum, explained a number of efforts by the DKI Provincial Government to suppress the impact of tidal flooding as long as the construction of the embankment has not been completed, one of which is the drainage channel to the shelter.

"We will build a drainage channel to a reservoir where we will then stand on standby, both stationary pumps and mobile pumps. What is the function? Its function is not to overcome the tidal wave, but its function is after the receding sea, we will shorten the duration of the inundation that occurs due to the tidal wave," said Ika.

Then, the DKI Provincial Government also continues to socialize so that people no longer use groundwater for their daily needs. Thus, the impact of the tidal flood severity due to land subsidence can be suppressed.

"It is better to continue to use and utilize PAM's clean water network, not to use excessive groundwater, because it can help this city reduce from land subsidence, where if friends play in the northern coastal area, our bodies are already under sea level," he added.