Karawang Regent Hands Down in the Middle of the Night, the Gonggo Tunnel that Floods Can Finally Be Passed

Karawang - The flood that submerged the Gonggo underpass in the urban area of Karawang, West Java, had triggered a long traffic jam on Friday, January 30 evening. Responding to the condition, the Regent of Karawang, Aep Syaepuloh, went directly to the location to ensure that the handling was carried out quickly.

Regent Aep said that he first learned of the incident while on his way home. The Regent saw a queue of vehicles on Jalan Arif Rahman Hakim and immediately traced the cause.

"On the way home at night I saw a long traffic jam on Jalan Arif Rahman Hakim. After being traced, it turned out that the Gonggo underpass could not be passed because it was flooded," said Aep in Karawang, Saturday.

After learning of the condition, Regent Aep immediately called Water Resources (SDA) personnel from the Karawang Regency Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Office to carry out emergency handling. He emphasized that the flood in the Gonggo Tunnel should not be allowed to linger because it has the potential to cause severe congestion in the city center.

"The handling must be done immediately. If left alone, the congestion in the urban area of Karawang will get worse," he said.

The Karawang Regency Government then lowered two water suction vehicles to overcome the puddles in the tunnel. Suction is carried out intensively so that the road section can be used again by two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles.

According to Aep, the flooding in the Gonggo Tunnel was triggered by the high intensity of rain that hit the Karawang area. In addition, the condition was exacerbated by the backwater from the drainage channel due to the high water level of the Citarum River.

"The rainfall is quite high and there is backwater because the water level of the Citarum River is rising, so the water overflows into the underpass," he explained.

After the suction was carried out, the water that covered the road body slowly receded. The Gonggo Tunnel Road was finally able to be crossed by drivers, so that traffic flow in the area returned to normal.

In addition to directly monitoring the water extraction process, Regent Aep also helped the officers manage traffic flow around the location. This step was taken to speed up the breakdown of the congestion that had occurred on a number of major roads in the urban area of Karawang.

The local government ensures that it will continue to monitor flood-prone points, especially during high rainfall intensity, to prevent similar incidents from recurring and to maintain the smooth running of community activities.