Flooding; Anies Baswedan Urged to Emulate Risma's Programs

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of the Jakarta Legislative Council's (DPRD) Commission D, Ida Mahmudah, suggested Jakarta Provincial provincial administration under Anies Baswedan emulate Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini or Risma’s program on handling flooding.

According to Ida, the construction of waterways or steel gratings in Surabaya can prevent floods in the capital.

"If you apply them [the programs] in Jakarta, I am sure there will no longer be puddles," said Ida during a discussion with a number of city officials at the Jakarta DPRD Building, Central Jakarta, on Monday, December 23.

Ida said, the PDIP Faction had a working visit to Surabaya and learned the use of steel gratings in the City of Heroes to anticipate flooding.

"It's not that I want to favor Ibu Risma who is a PDIP politician. But at least her programs are good and we need to take them as examples," she added.

Today, December 23, the Jakarta administration and the Commission D are holding a meeting regarding flood management in the capital. The city’s assistant for development and environment, Yusmada Faizal, said his people had installed steel gratings.

One of them was built on the Mampang underpass, South Jakarta, yet it was stolen three days after the inauguration of the underpass. However, flooding did not occur at the Mampang underpass despite heavy rains. "Because the pump system and the steel grating worked," Yusmada said.

Several streets of Jakarta were previously flooded after about two hours of downpour on Tuesday, December 17, including protocol roads such as Jalan Asia Afrika, Jakarta.

LANI DIANA WIJAYA