Heavy Rain Continues to Flood Jakarta, DPRD Values Weather Modification is Not Enough to Overcome Flooding

JAKARTA - Heavy rain again hit Jakarta at the weekend. The impact, flooding again submerged dozens of RTs in the capital. A similar condition also hit on Monday, January 12.

Member of Commission A of the DKI Jakarta Provincial DPRD from the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Faction, Kevin Wu, assessed that weather modification operations (OMC) cannot be the only mainstay in overcoming the problem of flooding in Jakarta.

"OMC is not a sweeping solution. It is only part of flood management involving wider elements. The DKI Provincial Government must not forget to make preparations on the ground," said Kevin on Monday, January 19.

Kevin emphasized the importance of the readiness of local governments at the lower level. According to him, flood management needs to be based on the region so that the response on the ground is faster and more targeted.

"We should no longer use a centralized approach. As with previous experiences, the emergence of these flood points is increasingly difficult to predict. So, the DKI Provincial Government also needs to be flexible and build the capacity of its devices at the sub-district and village levels," he said.

He said that mapping flood-prone areas was the first step that must be taken immediately, especially in the midst of unpredictable rainfall patterns. The mapping is considered important as a basis for the distribution of flood control facilities and infrastructure.

"Starting from now, the DKI Provincial Government must map out which sub-districts and villages are vulnerable to flooding. After that, water pumps need to be sent to these areas to anticipate flooding," said Kevin.

In addition, Kevin also highlighted the role of the Jakarta Guard Task Force (Satgas) which was formed to help handle various emergency conditions, including floods. He hopes that the existence of the task force is not only symbolic.

"Now is the time for the Jakarta Task Force to play a role and participate in efforts to anticipate and handle floods. With the Task Force, the DKI Provincial Government should have enough people to be deployed to flood locations when needed," he concluded.