The DKI DPRD's 2022 Infiltration Well Budget Strikes Out, Anies' Men: We'll Go On

JAKARTA - There is no budget for the construction of infiltration wells that has been approved in the 2022 budget year. The DKI Provincial Government had proposed it in the budget discussion, but it was rejected by the DKI DPRD.

However, Secretary of the DKI Water Resources Service (SDA), Dudi Gardesi, said that his party will continue to build infiltration wells this year.

"We are going to continue with the infiltration well," said Dudi when contacted, Friday, January 7.

The subordinate of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, said that the construction of infiltration wells this year will be carried out without involving third parties or the private sector with a tender procurement system.

"It's done self-managed. If we buy the material at auction, we have several of our task forces working on it, and we have our own tools that we can work on," said Dudi.

In addition, if a third party applies for a permit for the construction of a building, the DKI Provincial Government is currently tightening the obligation for rainwater collection facilities.

"Every time there is a new activity, they must have a recommendation related to how much they have to accommodate related to rainwater, both private and housing. From the past the regulation has existed, now it is more emphasized," said Dudi.

Previously, the Budget Agency (Banggar) of the DKI Jakarta DPRD decided to cross out the budget for the construction of vertical infiltration or drainage wells proposed by the DKI Provincial Government in the DKI Regional Budget for the 2022 fiscal year.

Deputy Chairman of Commission D of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Nova Harivan Paloh, said that this decision was made at the last discussion of Banggar, with previously the budget for infiltration wells for next year was proposed to be Rp. 120 billion.

"At the Banggar meeting, the final agreement (the infiltration well budget) was finally nullified. So, now there are no more activities (funded by the APBD) for infiltration wells," Nova told reporters, Thursday, December 1, 2021.

Nova said that the abolition of the infiltration well budget for next year was decided by the chairman of the DKI DPRD as well as the Banggar Chairperson of the DKI DPRD Prasetyo Edi Marsudi because he received complaints from a number of council members.

Several members of the DKI DPRD consider infiltration wells to be ineffective in helping to solve the flood problem in Jakarta. In the general view of the DPRD faction against the draft DKI regional regulation on the 2022 budget year, last November 16, there were five factions that asked for infiltration wells to be evaluated.