New Dams not Solution to Flood Problem: NGO

Jakarta (Antara) - The Biological Diversity (Kehati) Foundation is of the viewpoint that construction of new dams is not enough to solve the flood problem in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. Without positive intervention and restoration of the river basins as water catchment areas, floods will continue to occur, Kehati Director Arnold Sitompul remarked here on Thursday. River basins play a crucial role in controlling the water volume, because as catchment areas, they absorb the water flowing through their estuaries. For a long-term solution, the Jakarta and West Java administration must consider funding environmental projects in areas having river basins, whose rivers flow into Jakarta. Those rivers include Ciliwung, Cisadane, and Pesanggrahan, he noted. The conversion of river basin areas into farming and residential areas along the Ciliwung, Cisadane, and Pesanggrahan rivers must be stopped and forests in the upstream areas must be restored, he added. "The West Java provincial administration cannot single-handedly accomplish this mammoth task. Therefore, the Jakarta government must allocate funds to help restore the river basin in the upstream areas," he stated. As major floods hit parts of Jakarta and West Java, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, and the officials from the Public Works Ministry held a meeting to discuss a plan to commence construction of two new dams in Sukamahi and Ciawi by the year 2015. The construction of the two dams is estimated to cost Rp1.9 trillion, which will be funded by the ministry. The Jakarta and West Java authorities will be responsible for the land acquisition in these areas. The Ciawi dam will measure 107.3 hectares, while the Sukamahi dam will measure around 24.8 hectares. About 170 families will need to be relocated for the construction of the two dams. (*)