TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bogor's Katulampa Dam, notorious among Jakarta residents for its' role as the flood marker for the capital during the monsoon season - is attracting a different kind of attention this dry season. The depth of the Ciliwung river, which is dammed by the structure, has shrunk to zero as a result of land conversion around the general vicinity of Bogor.
"Land conversion and the destruction of the catchment areas is rampant in Puncak, where the source of the Ciliwung river is located," said Dramaga's Head of Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dedi Sucahyono, on Monday, September 22, 2014.
His claim is further corroborated by satellite imagery of the area, which shows that this dry season is not unseasonably dry - in fact, Bogor is expected to see light to moderate rainfall in the next couple of days - which could only mean that somehow, the rains are not flowing through the catchment areas and into Ciliwung river. "Normally, Katulampa should able to hold enough water to last until October," said Dedi.
According to Dedi, the destruction of catchment areas in Puncak will impact the flow of water into the dam and further downstream into Jakarta. "Because of the damages to the catchment areas in Puncak, the soil's ability to absorb rainwater is severely reduced," said Dedi. "As a result, when Puncak experiences heavy rainfall, the rainwater flows directly into the river because the soil cannot effectively absorb the excess rainfall, which in turn causes the river to overflow, causing floods."
Muhammad Alwan, a supervisor at Katulampa Dam, said that as of now, the concrete breakwater and the riverbed is completely exposed because the river is not flowing into the dam properly.
In order to mitigate the effects of the drought, Katulampa's authorities have decided to close the floodgates in an attempt to maximise water flow to the dam. "We are doing this so any water that trickles into Katulampa could be distributed to irrigate the fields in Kali Baru and around the Bogor Palace," said Alwan.
M SIDIK PERMANA