Constrained By Land Acquisition, Normalization Of The Ciliwung River Can Only Be Completed In 2026

PU Minister Dody Hanggodo held a coordination meeting with the Minister of ATR/Head of BPN Nusron Wahid and the Governor of Jakarta Pramono Anung. Photo: Doc. Ministry of Public Works

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo targets the normalization of the Ciliwung River to be completed in 2026 in the context of flood control in Jakarta.

This was conveyed by Dody after holding a coordination meeting (Rakor) with the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid and the Governor of Jakarta Pramono Anung at the PU Ministry office, Jakarta, Thursday, March 13.

"In the coordination meeting, it was agreed that the normalization of the Ciliwung River would be continued and targeted for completion in 2026," said Dody as quoted from his written statement, Friday, March 14.

Dody said that his party had discussed thoroughly so that the program could run immediately without any problems, both from a technical and administrative perspective.

According to Dody, his party needs a total land area of 35.94 hectares with a total field of 5,353 plots.

As for the normalization of the 33.69 kilometer Ciliwung River, currently the Ministry of Public Works has only completed 17.14 kilometers and the remaining 16.55 kilometers have not been worked on.

"Our main focus is to accelerate land acquisition, so that work can be carried out in stages from this year until next year," said Dody.

"This is our priority in the near future," he continued.

The cadre of the Democratic Party emphasized that the normalization of the Ciliwung River is part of Jakarta's medium-term flood control strategy. With this step, it is hoped that around 40 percent of the potential for flooding in the capital city can be handled effectively.

He considered that the Ciliwung River had a big role in the Jakarta drainage system. "Therefore, this normalization is not only to reduce the risk of flooding, but also to increase the capacity of rivers to accommodate and drain optimally," he said.

In addition, said Dody, efforts to control floods in Jakarta are not only focused on river normalization, but also carried out structurally and non-structurally.

Several projects that have been running include the construction of two dry dams (dry dams) in Sukamahi and Ciawi, Bogor Regency, and Sodetan Ciliwung in the form of 1,268 meter long tunnels with two pipelines with a diameter of 3.5 meters.

Meanwhile, Nusron Wahid said, his party had set a land acquisition scheme along the Ciliwung River, especially in the segment between Pengadegan to Rawajati. The land to be acquired is 11 hectares with a length of 16 kilometers.

"We have compiled a time frame for land acquisition. After the determination of the location in March 2025, we are targeting land acquisition to be completed by the end of May 2025. That way, physical development can start immediately in July 2025," he said.

On the same occasion, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung added, in implementing the normalization program, his party will prioritize a humane approach to affected residents.

"Normalization is important for Jakarta, but we must also ensure that the affected people get a fair solution. The Jakarta Provincial Government together with the central government will prepare a decent relocation and compensation scheme," he concluded.