Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The idea that Jakarta will be flooded by 2050 seems to have taken hold in the media. Those who support it are scientists, green activists and politicians. Most of them believe climate change will raise sea levels, and, compounded by the sinking of Jakarta's land, speed the pace of flooding.
Whether or not the city sinks below the sea by 2050, floods have hit the capital annually and they strike with greater severity once every few years. Severe floods have become more frequent. At first the interval was 17 years, from 1979 to 1996; another struck six years later in 2002; another five years later in 2007.
Experts have said the trend will likely continue and the interval will keep shrinking unless the city does something to mitigate floods.
They also say the underlying cause of the floods is Jakarta's damaged environment. First, Jakarta's rivers are severely polluted. They are strangled both by garbage and by the construction of housing on their banks. Second, Jakarta's water catchment areas are dwindling due to unchecked urban development, which has left only 8 percent of the capital green. Third, overexploitation of groundwater and again, urban development, have hastened the sinking of Jakarta's land. The city is dropping at an average of 8 centimeters per year, according to one estimate -- faster than the rising sea level estimated at .57 centimeters.
What has the administration done about floods in the past year?
Governor Fauzi Bowo has included flood mitigation in his 100-day program. Weeks after he was elected governor, the rainy season arrived. And it's business as usual for many people.
Main streets in the capital are still inundated after heavy downpours. The drainage apparently does not work very well. Regularly flooded areas are flooding, just as they have in the past.
Meanwhile, the garbage is still heaped in mountains in Jakarta's rivers; efforts to scoop it out have been ineffective. Apparently, the garbage just keeps coming. A man who helped the city clean the Manggarai sluice gate said to the press that his job was neverending, due to the "super" amount of garbage.
The city administration's efforts so far have involved dredging rivers and evicting riverbank people every year -- a step that requires much energy and money with questionable results. The city has also repeatedly fixed and added pumps to move floodwater from the city to the sea or rivers.
Those measures are necessary, but they are like trying to cover a hole in a deflating tire with tape. The hole just gets bigger and costs more to repair.
Deputy Governor Prijanto said the funding to revitalize rivers was not enough. Prijanto complained that Jakarta had only Rp 270 billion (US$30 million) to mitigate floods, while it needed Rp 1.2 trillion.
As much as Jakarta's rivers need dredging, as many hydrologists and public works experts always say, they will constantly need large expenditures if the city does not come up with more lasting solutions, such as improving waste management.
The administration's long-term solutions so far involve big projects. The most famous one is the construction of the East Flood Canal, which has been halted since the Dutch colonial administration. It is now being hampered by land disputes. Fauzi has stated that he will finish acquiring land for the canal by the end of his 100-day program on Jan. 15.
Other projects are the revitalization of water reservoirs throughout the city and the construction of a large dam upstream on the Ciliwung.
A new proposal came up at the end of former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's administration. The city considered building a multi-purpose tunnel aimed at solving water shortages and sanitation problems as well as floods.
Early estimates said the project, which is still undergoing a feasibility study, would cost Rp 4.37 trillion. However, later projections put the price tag at four times that amount. There has been no further news about this plan. Reports have shown that for Jakarta, maintaining big projects is often problematic. Lack of trained human resources and money are often the excuse for equipment rotting away.
All of these projects might help mitigate Jakarta's floods. But they are all big undertakings requiring large amounts of money right from the feasibility study all the way through to maintenance. They would also take a large investment of human resources.
In addition to such big projects, the city should seek more grassroots solutions involving residents and the business sector, especially developers. Reports from across the world have shown that participatory projects are more effective and sustainable. They cost less but they take a longer and more continuous effort, which is why they are less popular with Jakarta administrations.
A campaign aimed at domestic waste management seems increasingly necessary, because households produce more than 50 percent of the city's garbage. Households also contribute a lot to the garbage clogging the rivers.
The city has a 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) campaign. So far, however, only 20 subdistricts out of hundreds have applied the 3R system. The city's promotional efforts have slacked.
Budirama Natakusumah, the head of Environmental Management Board (BPLHD), said his office did not plan to continue or revive the 3R campaign. However, his board has launched another campaign concerning waste and water catchment areas. It revives the idea of absorption wells throughout the city. Households can make biopore holes to help absorb floodwater while revitalizing the groundwater supply.
The biopore idea and efforts to get developers to install absorption wells have not proved very popular, however, perhaps because of the novelty of the idea.
Tackling floods should not be the responsibility of the city administration alone. Millions of residents, as well as the business sector, should help contribute to mitigation. Concerted efforts should be made because floods affect everybody in the city.
Thus, to flood or not to flood is not exactly the question. The city is flooded anyway and everybody should do something.
No comments:
Post a Comment