Houses On The Banks Of East Jakarta River Prone To Floods Due To Broken Embankments, Walkot Wants Residents To Be Relocated

East Jakarta Mayor Muhammad Anwar at the location of the construction of the reservoir made by apartment developers in Cawang, East Jakarta/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - East Jakarta Mayor M Anwar admitted that river embankments in the East Jakarta area often broke down. As a result, buildings on the banks are often flooded.

Anwar said that so far the East Jakarta City Government has only repaired collapsed embankments in a patchy manner. The government has not been able to build a sturdy permanent embankment to hold back river flow because many buildings such as houses and shops belonging to residents along the riverbanks.

"It's already prone to landslides because it's too long. If we want to install sheetpiles (permanent embankments), it's impossible because we can't enter there. Right, there are still many shops on the outskirts," said Anwar at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Wednesday, April 26.

So far, the East Jakarta City Government has only repaired the embankment with semi-permanent wood. As a result, the embankment broke again. Like the embankment of the Kali Baru flow in the Hek Kramat Jati area which often makes roads inundated.

"At the very least, now it's just patchy, repairs. Well, that's why there are seepages, leaks from Bali Baru to the Dukuh area down, to the intersection," said Anwar.

Anwar admitted that the way to overcome the collapse of the fragile embankment was by rebuilding a sturdy embankment and not easily landslides. However, the construction of this embankment, according to Anwar, can only be done if residents' housing on the banks of the river is relocated.

"That has to be an approach to the rules. I really want everything to be put in order, that's it. To be relocated, yes. Right, we have flats," said Anwar.

However, Anwar continued, the implementation of the relocation of houses along the river in East Jakarta was hampered by the permanent embankment construction program by the Water Resources Service as the executor. After the program is running, the East Jakarta City Government will carry out socialization until the implementation of the relocation.

"Later, if there is a request from the SDA to me, I immediately invite the residents, I invite the Housing Service to prepare the flats for relocation for residents who live on the banks of the river. If it is true that he has documents, legal ownership, there are replacements, compensation," he explained.