The City Program Is Said To Be Able To Handle Floods And Slum Areas In Amau Belitung Village

The City Without Slums Program (Kityku) is claimed to have succeeded in overcoming the problem of flooding and reducing slum areas in Amau Village, Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands. Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI

BELITUNG - The City Without Slums Program (Kotaku) is claimed to have succeeded in overcoming the flood problem and reducing slum areas in Amau Village, Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands.

Head of the Housing and Settlement Division of the Belitung Masali PUPR Service said, through the Kotaku program, slum areas in Amau Village, Parit Village, Tanjung Pandan District, have experienced significant improvements in recent years.

"Alhamdulillah, from the beginning this village was slum, it was a basin. This means that the center of flooding, if it is known here, is Kampung Amau. Indeed, for the arrangement of a slum area of 17.29 hectares. Alhamdulillah, it has been handled and the principle of benefits has been felt by the community," Masali told reporters in Kampung Amau, Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands, Kami, September 26.

He said, in general, Belitung Regency previously had a slum area of 62.01 hectares in 2020. Along with the program, this area was reduced to 19.63 hectares in March 2023.

Masali said that Amau Village is known as one of the areas that often experiences flooding because it is located in a basin. However, after the arrangement of the area, this condition has gradually improved with reduced flood frequency.

Previously, flooding in the area could last for two to three hours, especially during the rainy season and high tides. Now, the flood recedes within 30 minutes after the rain stops.

The Kotaku program in Amau Village includes an arrangement of an area of 17.29 hectares. One of the solutions implemented is the construction of a retention pond by the Ministry of PUPR to temporarily accommodate rainwater. Road access is also widened until green open space is prepared through the City Program which will be built in 2021.

With this handling, the flood height which previously reached 1.2 to 1.3 meters, now only ranged from 20 to 30 cm. Floods that occurred were easier to overcome.

Gatot, who is a resident of Amau Village, admitted that with the City Program, local residents can enjoy the facilities built, especially Ciburik Park. With this facility, children can play and mothers do gymnastics together with a certain schedule.

"Actually, if it doesn't change, if environmental cleanliness has a good impact. Because here there are many benefits, for gymnastics mothers in a week to four times, where children play, it has a pretty good impact," he said.

Even so, Gatot hopes that there will be periodic supervision from the village head and sub-district head regarding the cleanliness and security of these facilities which are always crowded on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights.