Minister Of Public Works Regarding The Cause Of Floods: The River Is Buried And Finally There Is A Building

Floods submerged Jalan Kaligawe Raya, Semarang, Central Java. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that the peak of the 2025/2026 rainy season will occur in November-December 2025.

For this reason, BMKG reminded the public to be aware of the potential for hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods, landslides and puddles, especially in areas with high rainfall.

Responding to this, the Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo will coordinate with regional heads in handling floods. One of the focuses is ensuring the condition of the river is maintained.

Dody asked the existing rivers not to be stockpiled for building to be built.

This is because this triggers reduced volume of water storage, which leads to flood disasters.

"In the future, I will coordinate a lot with the governor and mayor so that the river is not eaten again. If the river is already 3 meters wide, don't hoard it and then for a long time there will be a building," said Dody in Media Briefing at the PU Ministry office, Jakarta, Friday, October 31.

"If that's the case, right, the volume of capacity will decrease. Because whatever the reason, there will be housing or sedimentation, the capacity will be less. Automatically flood," he continued.

Regarding the rainy season and anticipation of flooding, the Ministry of Public Works has alerted pumps at vulnerable points.

Dody ensured that his party was 100 percent ready for flood management, including to lower heavy equipment.

Pompa penyedot air banjir akan difokuskan di titik rawan, seperti Jawa Tengah, DKI hingga Jawa Barat.

Daerah lain seperti Sumatera dan Sulawesi juga menjadi perhatian Kementerian PU.

"Kami juga menyediakan lebih banyak pompa tambahan karena kami merasakan memang pompa itu sangat-sangat diperlukan. Khususnya untuk daerah-daerah rawan banjir. Jawa Tengah, DKI, Jawa Barat itu mungkin memang rawan banjir. Demikian juga nanti di Sumatera dan Sulawesi," terangnya.

The flood water suction pump will focus on vulnerable points, such as Central Java, DKI to West Java.

Other areas such as Sumatra and Sulawesi are also the attention of the Ministry of Public Works.

"We also provide more additional pumps because we feel that the pump is very, very necessary. Especially for flood-prone areas. Central Java, DKI, West Java may be prone to flooding. Likewise in Sumatra and Sulawesi," he explained.