Flood Rob Submerges Three Areas In North Jakarta, Emergency Embankment Installed

Illustration of theron flood in Muaraangke, North Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA A number of areas in North Jakarta were flooded by tidal floods on the evening of Tuesday, April 29, following the rising sea level that overflowed to the mainland.

The North Jakarta Water Resources Sub-dept. (SDA Sub-dept.) said that flooding occurred at several points, including Jalan RE Martadinata, Muara Angke, and the Pluit area.

Head of the Drainage Section of the North Jakarta SDA Sub-dept., Yudo Widiatmoko, said the water level in the location varied. On Jalan RE Martadinata, precisely in front of the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS), the inundation reached 15 to 25 centimeters.

To overcome the inundation, his party has operated three units of mobile pumps with a capacity of 250 500 mm per second. "God willing, there are no major problems, the impact is local. When the sea water recedes, the puddles will also recede," said Yudo, Wednesday, April 30.

In the Muara Angke fishing settlement, tidal flooding also occurred. However, water pumps in the area continue to operate and it is estimated that inundation will recede in two to three hours. Meanwhile, in the Pluit area, tidal flooding was triggered by an overflow of sea water from the ship's docking area, due to the collapsed barrier wall.

"To anticipate, we have installed emergency embankments from geobags and gabions. Although the water is still seeping, inundation only occurs around the ship's docking area and does not extend to the settlements of Pluit Karang Ayu and Pluit Karang Utara," he said.

Yudo explained that the tidal flood in Muara Angke occurred because the sea embankment that should protect the area had not been installed. In addition, the current embankment has not met the standard height so it is unable to withstand the overflow of sea water.

As a long-term solution, the government will build a sea embankment through the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) program. This program includes the construction of coastal embankments and the development of coastal areas of Jakarta. In the short term, the SDA Sub-Department will lift the existing embankments starting in August or September this year.

"This embankment is expected to prevent sea water from entering during tidal flooding," said Yudo.

The construction of a permanent embankment is also being carried out in the Pluit area, precisely in the Docking area of the KPKP ship. The embankment is 217 meters long and three meters high and uses reinforced concrete. The project is targeted for completion in August or September 2025.

"On Tuesday, the 15 meter long barrier wall collapsed because it was not designed to hold seawater. When the tide came, the wall broke due to water pressure. Now we have installed an emergency embankment so that flooding does not spread," he concluded.