Anies' Deduction Of The Flood Budget Is Considered Inappropriate

Floods in Jabodetabek 2020. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - In November 2019, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan Government Budget Team cut the budget for land acquisition for reservoirs and rivers for flood control by IDR 500 billion on the grounds of the DKI Jakarta Government's budget deficit.

It's just that, reflecting on the floods that hit Jakarta at the end of 2020, public policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah actually considered this policy to be inappropriate.

He assessed that the budget for flood control must be increased immediately considering that until now there is still a lot of work to be done by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to anticipate flood disasters that continue to occur.

"In responding to this flood, Mr. Anies, of course, must first carry out the (flood control) program that is already in the 2020 General Budget Policy and Provisional Budget Ceiling Priority (KUA-PPAS). But the budget for the program was cut by Rp500 billion if I It's not wrong, it should be added, so that programs can be carried out simultaneously such as adding absorption wells, drainage, and construction of reservoirs, normalization will be carried out immediately, "Trubus said when contacted by VOI reporters by telephone, Thursday, January 2.

In addition to the matter of adding to the budget that has already been cut quickly, Trubus also said that Anies must be ready to carry out non-populist policies such as relocating residents living in illegal settlements around riverbanks as a normalization step. "Residents along the river must also be relocated immediately," he said.

This observer also said that Anies Baswedan must also sit together with the central government and regional governments around the capital, such as the Provincial Government of West Java and Banten.

According to him, this is important, considering that so far, Trubus assesses that Anies has never done sitting together and discussing flood control with other provincial governments and the central government.

Apart from that, he also highlighted how often Anies would let go of his men if there was a horrendous incident. This, said Trubus, caused the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to be less able to carry out their programs, including the flood control program.

"There is no coordination with the central government and the buffer regions. Then the handling from upstream and downstream is also not optimal. Finally, to the lower level, many programs do not run. This could also be because the head of the department has been changed many times so (the program) does not run optimally," he explained. he.

So in the future, Trubus said that the normalization or naturalization of rivers and the development of water absorption areas must be carried out immediately by Anies and his staff so that flooding does not occur again in Jakarta.

Apart from Trubus, urban planning observer from Trisakti University, Nirwono Yoga also stated the same thing regarding river normalization. According to Yoga, this normalization can be done by making arrangements in the riverbank area and the area around the lake or lake or other water reservoirs.

"In the medium term, flood prevention can be done in the first way, massive relocation of settlements on the banks of rivers and there, lakes, reservoirs or reservoirs to the nearest Rusunawa," Yoga told VOI reporters via text message, Thursday, December 2, adding There are about 109 lakes and lakes around the DKI Jakarta area that need to be normalized immediately.

In addition to the normalization or naturalization of riverbanks and hundreds of lakes or reservoirs, Yoga also emphasized that repair of waterways must also be carried out by related agencies. "Rehabilitation of waterways in stages should be carried out in stages together with the revitalization of sidewalks being carried out by DGH," he said.

Not only that, to accelerate water absorption from the ongoing rain, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and its staff are expected to accelerate the development of green open spaces (RTH) from an area of only 9.98 percent to 30 percent.

As for the quick-term steps of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government after the flood disaster hit, Yoga said DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his staff must ensure that the evacuation site works optimally to help flood victims.

In addition, Anies and his staff must immediately evaluate the flood-affected settlements and decide on their next plan. "For example, if there is a settlement on the riverbank that is affected by flooding, make sure to relocate it immediately this year," he said.

Regarding normalization, Anies has spoken before. According to him, normalization does not really affect the presence or absence of flooding in Jakarta. He conveyed this after being 'flicked' by the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono, who was disappointed because the normalization of the Ciliwung River had only been running for 16 kilometers.

The former Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) in the Working Cabinet era said the source of the flood problem was not normalization, but water control. For him, no matter how wide the land is released if there is no water control from the South, Jakarta will still be flooded.

"I'm sorry, Minister, I have to take the view because you said earlier. So, as long as water is allowed from the South to enter Jakarta and there is no control from the South. So whatever we do on the coast, including in Jakarta, will not be able to control the water," he said. to Basuki during a press conference at the Monas area, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, January 1.

In fact, according to Basuki, the area around Ciliwung River that has been normalized does not appear to be inundated by floods. This condition looks different from the areas that have not been normalized.

"In the 16 km, we can see that God willing, it is safe from overflow, but those that have not been normalized are inundated," said Basuki when expressing his disappointment with Anies Baswedan after checking flood spots in Jakarta and its surroundings by riding a helicopter.