Floods Inundate IKN Nusantara Project Area
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21 March 2023 11:08 WIB
River and Dam Normalization Project
Meanwhile, the IKN Authority stated that rain in the upstream area and clogged water channels led to flooding in Sepaku Village. Other factors include erosion, sedimentation, and silting of rivers.
Achmad Jaka Santos Adiwijaya, the secretary of the IKN Authority, ensured his side in tandem with several institutions, such as the North Penajam Paser Regency BPBD, Indonesian Military (TNI), Police, local governments, Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), and others have carried out flood mitigation.
“The floodwater has receded since the morning of March 18,” said Jaka in a press release received by Tempo on Monday, March 20, 2023.
He explained that the IKN Authority had identified the potential for flooding in several areas in the Sepaku Village given the low zones. The IKN Authority along with other institutions is building infrastructure to deal with flooding in the area around the IKN, especially in Sepaku Village, including weirs, ponds, and retention ponds, as well as the construction of flood control in watersheds, the preparation of an integrated watershed management plan, and forest and land rehabilitation by the Mahakam Berau Watershed Management Agency.
He said the IKN Authority had coordinated meetings with several related institutions to discuss plans for handling flood prevention and control.
“The IKN Authority keeps committed to paying attention to risks and disaster management, including flooding in affected areas, including in Sepaku Village. All efforts are being practiced to minimize the impact of the disaster and maintain public safety,” said Jaka.
Tempo contacted an expert staff of the PUPR Minister for Technology, Industry, and Environment, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, to gain information related to the Sepaku River Intake project. No response has been given thus far.
On a separate occasion, the Kalimantan River IV Regional Office head Harya Muldianto said the IKN area was designed to be free from flooding for the next 100 years by building many retention ponds and dams. “There is indeed no guarantee for zero flooding, but with reliable hydrology and design calculations, it can be predicted that there will be no flooding in the IKN in the next 100 years,” said Harya in November 2022, as quoted from Antara.
According to him, the causes of flooding in the IKN area include heavy rainfall, sea tides, bottlenecks or narrowing culverts and provincial roads, as well as topographical conditions. He explained that until 2024, his side will take many efforts to control flooding, including a 25-kilometer river normalization project and the elimination of five narrowing culverts. “Flood control is also carried out by raising river embankments and constructing dams,” said Harya.
The Sepaku River Intake project in the IKN area, he went on, has 92.23 percent completed as of March 18, 2023. It will be equipped with four pump units, each with a capacity of 600 liters per second. “Three pumps will be operated, and one pump serves as a backup,” he said. The Sepaku River intake has a capacity of 3,000 liters per second and is built with the concept of an adjustable weir (Obermeyer) with a width of 117.2 meters and a height of 2.3 meters.
KORAN TEMPO | HENDRIK YAPUTRA
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