Observer Asks Anies Baswedan Not To Overcome Floods, Make Infiltration Wells Easy But Inefficient

Illustration-Flood in Jakarta (Photo: DOK VOI)

JAKARTA - City planning observer Yayat Supriatna asked the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan and his staff not to be partial in dealing with flooding in the capital city. The presence of infiltration wells, which today are heavily criticized, is in principle inefficient in tackling floods.

"The approach to overcoming flooding must be more massive because what is faced by water on a large scale in the context of an entire city with a high volume, cannot be done half-heartedly. Especially if it rains extreme, the handling is also extreme. If it is serious, it is serious, face it and solve it," said Yayat when contacted by VOI, Jakarta, Tuesday, November 9.

The infiltration well program, according to Yayat, is principally devoted to collecting ground water. If Jakarta is facing drought, infiltration wells can be a solution. Also, to accommodate groundwater, there is tolerance from infiltration wells.

For example, continued the Lecturer of Planology Engineering at Trisakti University, namely rain in the low or medium category. In other words, infiltration wells are only a companion program to Anies' overall program in dealing with floods.

Meanwhile, flooding in Jakarta occurs due to heavy or extreme rainfall whose volume exceeds the capacity of infiltration wells. If today there are still infiltration wells, both in RT/RW, roads that are flooded with water, their presence is not efficient.

"Handling floods and adding infiltration wells to add groundwater are different. If it is to overcome the groundwater crisis, it can be used as a tool to add or multiply infiltration wells, a movement to save water. If the flood context is broad. For example, river watersheds, urban areas, areas that are bigger, the intensity of rain is greater," explained Yayat.

The DKI Provincial Government, appealed to Yayat, to focus on large-scale flood prevention programs and extreme measures.

Structurally by building reservoirs, dams, dredging, normalization and so on. While non-structural, the approach to the community is about the culture of cleanliness, not littering and reforestation.

"This means that making infiltration wells is easy, but the impact is not much. So, just do the existing big programs," said Yayat.