Dutch-made floating bulldozers to dredge city canals

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 11/14/2008 8:49 PM  |  Jakarta 

The city administration plans to dredge two urban waterways using equipment from the Netherlands to mitigate flooding in the city. 

Peter Vroege, team leader from the Jakarta Flood Management Pilot Dredging Project, said the equipment would be dispatched in two narrow and shallow waterways, the Mati and Pademangan canals in North Jakarta. 

He said the dredging machines, dubbed floating bulldozers, would dredge the waterways for three months, from Nov. 17 to February. 

"Before we hand over the equipment to the city, we will train public works officials so they are able to operate the equipment on other waterways," he said. 

The equipment is valued at 700,000 euros (US$890,000).