Flood Hits Jakarta, Ministry Focus on River Basin Rehabilitation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) expressed its comments concerning the flood that hits a number of region in Jakarta, Bogor, Depot, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

In relation to the issue, Acting Director General of Regional Management for River Basin and Conservation Forest (PDASHL) Hudoyo, stated that the KLHK will continue to prioritize the rehabilitation of river basins including for Ciliwung and Cisadane river.

"We in all Indonesia are rehabilitating especially high priority river basins, and Ciliwing, Cisadane, Citarum, and others. Those are priority river basins," Hudoyo said on Friday, January 3, 2020. "Unfortunately, our State Budget capability does not compare to the crisis on the land in those regions."

Hudoyo set an example how the coverage on the upstream of Ciliwung and Cisadane river basins is only 18,296 hectares, or equals to 38.3 percent of the total forest area. Meanwhile, the areq only constitutes 4.1 percent of the total width of the vegetated Ciliwung and Cisadane river basin from the upstream to the downstream.

The rest, according to Hudoyo, are area for other purposes in which the KLHK cannot force to carry out rehabilitation efforts. Most of the area for other purposes are owned by the people. Therefore, Hudoyo hoped that the regional government will assume a larger role in pushing for more river basin rehabilitation efforts.

In relation to the recent flood, Hudoyo asserted that the main factors causing the flood are high precipitation and land conversion. Hudoyo added that other factors causing the flood were the reducing number of reservoirs and conversion of swamp lands.

"All of those have now been converted to residential areas, office areas, and others covered with concrete. In addition to that, our drainage system is bad," Hudoyo said.

ANTARA