TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Last month's heavy rainfall has caused most of Bandung to be seriously underwater. It is the worst flooding in the West Java capital for a decade. Jalan Pasteur, the main access road to Bandung from Jakarta and the north coast, was completely unusable when the Citepus River overflowed onto the thoroughfare.

Pasteur is only one of 20 locations in the city hit by heavy flooding since October as a result of at least two hydrological process failures. First, the soil is no longer able to absorb excess water. Secondly, water channels are insufficient to cope with the additional flows from rivers, reservoirs and drainage systems.

In general, Bandung's rivers have been made shallow and narrow by trash and sedimentation. Drains are clogged. Thousands of cubic meters of water from culverts flow onto roads and into people's homes. This is made worse by the fact that many reservoirs are at the end of their useful lives. In the past, they played a major part in flood prevention in Bandung.

The poor condition of the infrastructure is only one aspect. There are more complex factors upstream: the change of land use and massive damage in North Bandung. West Java Regulation No. 1/2008 states that this area is protected forest. It includes the regencies of Bandung and West Bandung and the cities of Bandung and Cimahi. This West Java administration regulation was later reinforced by a ministerial regulation and a presidential decision.

The function of the North Bandung region is to protect the environment of the lower region, namely the Bandung Basin, which includes the West Java capital and its surroundings. The Tatar Sunda Forest and Environment Monitoring Council says that not all of this area can be developed for commerce or for cultivation. In 1965, more than 70 percent of the North Bandung region constituted a water catchment area. Today, less than 30 percent is able to do the job, given that the remainder of the land is the venue for hotels, restaurants, holiday homes and even industrial buildings.

The resulting massive damage means the northern area is no longer able to protect the areas below it. Therefore strong political will from the regional leaders is needed to prioritize environmentally-friendly policies, instead of merely economic considerations. Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil needs to substantially strengthen the infrastructure in order to protect his city from flooding. It is all very well to make the city more beautiful by building parks and fountains, but he needs to ensure first that Bandung has the means to prevent flooding.

There are several things that can be done, such as to carry out an environmental audit, stop the development of commercial buildings in North Bandung and involve the city's residents in boring water wells. Environmentally-friendly drains should be constructed and the number of catchment areas should be increased. To carry out all this, Ridwan will need to produce a comprehensive street map showing flood control points and involve all stakeholders to ensure the program is integrated.

Last week, five Greater Bandung leaders gathered to sign a memorandum of understanding on flood mitigation. Now, the job of Ridwan and his associates will be to ensure that this MoU is followed up with real action and not end up in a desk drawer. (*)

Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine