Poor Drainage System in Jakarta
Wednesday, 08 April, 2009 | 14:39 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Flooding and pools of water were to be found in several places in Jakarta after heavy rains on Monday (6/4).

According to Yayat Supriatna, an expert on urban affairs from Trisakti University, the capital city’s bad drainage system was the cause.

He said the circulating system for drainage in Jakarta is unclear.

“It is not connected between micro and macro drainage channels,” Yayat told Tempo yesterday.

In addition, only 30 percent of the drainage capacity currently functions well.

Therefore, rains of medium intensity can create flooding or pools of water.

Yayat said that the government and the general public have failed in managing and maintaining the drainage system.

The flooding does not only occur in main streets but also in housing areas.

One of the housing areas that is often hit by flooding is Petogogon District in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Water to this district comes not only from the overflowing Krukut river but also from the bad drainage system.

Residents whose houses are only with one storey high have to leave their houses.

Garbage is also to be found in the drains, which are often silted up.

Tarjuki, head of Water Resources Maintenance at the Jakarta Public Works Regional Office, said that drains in Jakarta could not accommodate water during heavy rains.

He explained that the drains with widths of 60 centimeters to 1 meter could only accommodate rain with an intensity of 10 millimeters per hour while the rain intensity last Monday reached 20 millimeters per hour.

Deputy of Commission B for Economy division, Ben Sitompul, said that the drainage system in Jakarta needs to be evaluated.

“Even higher places can be hit by flooding,” said Ben yesterday.

AMIRULLAH| EKA UTAMI APRILIA