The Failure Of River Naturalization Until An Invitation To Catch Rain

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan at AIr Manggarai Gate. (Photo: Pemprov DKI Jakarta)

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Sekjen Fitra), Misbah Hasan, said that the current floods that have occurred in Jakarta and its surroundings are the impact of budget cuts for flood management.

The concept of naturalization which was proclaimed by the Governor of DKI Anies Baswedan through Pergub number 31 of 2019 is also considered late in issuance and its implementation is unclear, thus affecting the flooding this time.

"The Governor's Team for the Acceleration of Development (TGUPP) also seems to have not contributed to the flood management concept. As a result, there is no strategic document for flood control and mitigation," Misbah told reporters in Jakarta, Saturday, January 4.

Not only that, the low budget absorption of the Water Resources Service and Sub-Department for flood and abrasion control programs also contributed to the current floods. Of the total Rp3.87 trillion budget in 2019, financial realization was only 60.7 percent and performance realization only reached 64 percent, a big difference from the 83 percent achievement target listed in the DKI RPJMD for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

To note, in 2020 the budget for handling floods and abrasion has decreased by 21 percent or Rp. 672 billion compared to the previous year.

In the midst of this polemic, Misbah suggested to replace the poorly performing Water Resources Service Head and Sub-Department. In addition, it is necessary to dismiss the TGUPP team, because it does not contribute to flood control and management.

"The central government should urge the DKI and West Java Provincial Government to continue the river normalization program and cooperate in developing a more comprehensive flood management concept," he said.

Catch the Rain

The subordinate of DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, Muslim Muin, actually defended the naturalization program initiated by Anies. Not only that, he also asked President Joko Widodo or Jokowi and his ministers to also work on the problem of flooding by following the naturalization concept.

This member of the Governor's Team for the Acceleration of Development (TGUPP) of DKI Jakarta explained that the method is to invite residents to catch rainwater to avoid flooding.

Catching rainwater means that every resident provides land for water absorption. Residents can take advantage of media such as empty land in the area of the house. So that when the rain comes, the water can immediately sink into the ground.

"That's what Governor Anies said was naturalized. Catch, use, absorb, the rest just throw away. Catch the rain, use rain water, absorb the rainwater, the rest just throw away. That's called naturalization," he said, when met at Bidara Cina, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, Saturday, January 4.

Member of the Jakarta Governor's Team for the Acceleration of Development (TGUPP), Muslim Muin. (Mery Handayani / VOI)

Muslim explained, the effective flood prevention in Jakarta is by reducing river water. Because the biggest source of flooding comes from that water. As long as the river water discharge is still high, it will be difficult to prevent flooding.

Furthermore, Muslim said, this concept was what he suggested to Anies as a flood prevention measure. Prior to proposing, Muslim had piloted this concept in his home. The result is quite good at absorbing rainwater.

"How do we reduce the flood discharge? Catch the rain. Not only here (Jakarta), in Sono, in Puncak, in Bogor," he explained.

However, Muslim emphasized that this rain catching program was not fully under Anies' authority. Given the upstream location is located in the Bogor area and not the territory of DKI Jakarta.

"Who can order the catch of the rain? Earlier you explained whose task, not Mr. Anies' job. The task of the central government. The president," he said.