Anies Baswedan Blames Contractor for Broken Levee in Muara Baru
Translator
Editor
17 January 2019 09:58 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan backed local people living around the levee of Muara Baru, North Jakarta despite they broke the sea wall which triggered waters inundated the area and caused the flood in December.
Anies opined the construction of the levee was started without prior communication with the local people. The sea wall along the beach coast is part of the mega project of the giant sea wall to preserve Jakarta from the increasing water level, while the land is below the sea level.
“I inspect it in the site than one factor of these problems is no communication with the people, [contractor] recklessly install [the sea wall],” said Anies in the City Hall, Wednesday, January 16.
Anies explained the public commonly use the area as a parking lot of fishing boat and water drainage channels before the construction of the levee. The public then could not park their boat and water that supposedly flows to the river inundated the residence complex.
Thus, they decided to break the sea wall. “So, [the flood] is not because of the broken levee, but the need,” Anies noted.
On December 11, 2018, the levee in Muara Baru broke and inundated people’s residence. Meanwhile, Anies Baswedan previously inspected the sea wall in November.
M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH