TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential expert staff member, Ali Mochtar Ngabalin, urged Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to focus the city’s administration efforts in anticipating future floods. This follows a report by the Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) upon possible heavy rainfall in the upcoming week.

“Don’t let the floods happen again. God-willingly, Pak Anies will be able to overcome the issue as long as he focuses on his work rather than his words,” said Ngabalin in a public discussion on Sunday in Jakarta.

Aware of what some people may consider as a non-filtered comment from him, Ngabalin said: “Sorry [Anies Baswedan], I truly am.”

Moreover, the former House of Representatives (DPR) legislator hopes that Anies, as the governor of the capital city, will have a contingency plan prepared ahead of BMKG’s aforementioned weather alert.

He also urged the Jakarta Administration to assure its residents, and central government, that the new year’s day flash floods that devastated Jakarta and its satellite cities will not reoccur.

The BMKG forecasts light intensity rainfall to pour over Jakarta, Bogor, and Tangerang from January 12-14 which may shower the areas from noon until the evening. This rainfall is predicted to intensify from January 15-18.

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA