The Palembang City Government Seeks To Increase The Water Pump To Overcome Floods

Regional Secretary of Palembang City Ratu Dewa. (ANTARA/Ahmad Rafli Baiduri)

PALEMBANG - The Palembang City Government in South Sumatra Province seeks to increase water pumps to deal with flooding in residential areas and protocol roads when it rains. "It is necessary to add this pump to attract and encourage water so that when it rains there will be no more flooding in some of the vulnerable areas. We will make budget planning for the purchase of pumps," said Palembang City Regional Secretary Ratu Dewa in Palembang, Antara, Friday, December 9. However, he did not mention the number of water pumps available or additional water pumps to be purchased by the city government. The Palembang City Government has formed a task force to monitor flood-prone areas and ensure drainage and waterways are not clogged. Ratu Dewa said that in the long term the city government plans to increase the retention pond in order to reduce the risk of flooding during the rainy season. He quoted a study by the Regional Development Planning Agency, Research and Development of Palembang City which stated that Palembang City ideally has 20 retention ponds. "Currently, there are only seven retention pond units, which have recently been arranged and dredged," he said. Floods hit several protocol roads and residential areas in Palembang City after heavy rains fell for about two hours on Thursday (8/12). Heavy rains caused inundation in the residential areas of Sekip Bendung, Demang Lebar Daun, Dwikora, Jalan Simanjuntak, and Rawa Sari behind the old UIN Raden Fattah Palembang campus. In addition, rain caused the section of Jalan Soekarno Hatta, Jalan Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II KM 11, Jalan Japan, Alang-Alang Lebar District, Jalan Kolonel Barlian, Jalan Basuki Rahmad, Jalan R Sukamto, Jalan Demang Lebar Daun, Jalan Major Ruslan, Jalan Bay Salim, and Jalan Jendral Sudirman in front of the Sriwijaya Pangdam II Service house.