Jakarta Is Prepared For Floods In Rainy Season: Mud Inspection And Dredge Rivers And Reservoirs

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government claims to have taken strategic steps to control flooding in the face of the rainy season through a number of mud raid programs.

This readiness was conveyed by the Assistant for the Government of the Regional Secretariat of the DKI Jakarta Province, Sigit Wijatmoko. According to him, the anticipation of potential flooding in DKI Jakarta this year is carried out faster than the previous year.

For example, flooding on February 20, 2021, was due to extreme rains whose rainfall reached 226 mm/day which exceeded the drainage capacity in Jakarta.

"As a result of the extreme rain, 49 Neighborhoods in Jakarta experienced flooding," he said, quoted by Antara, Sunday, October 24.

Sigit stated that the anticipation of flooding to face the rainy season at the end of 2021 is much more prepared than in previous years.

"The heavy rain that falls can be handled quickly, so there will be no flooding," he said.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is anticipating the flood through a mud raid program, namely dredging ditches, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

"Other programs are, making a trough, repairing water channels, intensifying the installation of vertical infiltration wells," continued Sigit.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has also implemented a "blue and green" program, namely a park that becomes a temporary water storage area when the intensity of rain is high, providing rain gauges, and repairing pumps.

Other anticipation is carried out by alerting pumps throughout the year at 178 pump house locations. There are 457 stationary pumps near rivers, reservoirs, and sluice gates, as well as 282 units of mobile or portable pumps spread across five areas of DKI Jakarta.

"The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has also brought in additional 40 units of mobile pumps," he said.

Sigit added that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has also added green open spaces (RTH) as rainwater absorption areas with a target of adding 12 new parks this year, to complement the existing 57 jointly developed parks (TMB).

There is also a grande park, which is to revitalize existing parks, for example Tebet Park which is currently in the process of being worked on, and one of the other green open spaces is the Mangrove Forest in North Jakarta.