Anies' Subordinates Admit That They Are Unable To Increase Drainage Capacity To Prevent Flooding, This Is The Reason

JAKARTA - Secretary of the DKI Water Resources Department, Dudi Gardesi, admitted that his party was no longer able to increase the drainage capacity to prevent flooding in the capital city. In fact, the limited capacity of the drainage system is one of the factors that floods cannot subside quickly.

This subordinate of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, admitted that limited land in Jakarta was the reason the drainage network could not be expanded.

"Drainage also has the capacity and our land is also very limited. If it is raining, we want to make it as wide as possible according to our calculations. But we don't have land", Dudi told reporters, Thursday, January 20.

Therefore, the DKI Provincial Government has implemented other programs to control Jakarta floods, such as dredging rivers/dams, building polders, and constructing infiltration wells.

"If we have to widen the drainage, there must be (land) acquisition. That's why we have many other programs to reduce the burden", said Dudi.

Likewise when it rains in Jakarta. Dudi revealed that the DKI Provincial Government immediately moved to deal with the inundation by cleaning the drains to desludging the pump.

"We have a performance target, so when the rain is over, the tide has fallen, the overflow has finished, we have to dry the inundated area", he said.

Floods have inundated dozens of RTs and several roads in Jakarta since Tuesday, January 19 yesterday. DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan reasoned that flooding could occur due to the limited drainage system.

At that time, yesterday's rainfall in Kemayoran was recorded at 204 millimeters, in Teluk Gong 193 millimeters, in Pulomas 177 millimeters, and Kelapa Gading 163 millimeters.

Meanwhile, the drainage capacity in Jakarta can only accommodate up to 100 millimeters of rain per day. If the rainfall exceeds the drainage capacity, then the flood will definitely hit.

This reason surprised the chairman of the PDIP faction of the DKI Regional House of Representatives, Gembong Warsono. Gembong questioned why Anies did not increase the drainage capacity if the conditions were unable to accommodate extreme rain.

"He can blame the drainage. But if he knows there is a problem with the drainage, why can't it be repaired? Why isn't drainage the flagship program?", said Gembong.