River-dredging project to supply mud to build up land for BMW Park

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/14/2008 11:09 AM  

In an ambitious new project, the Jakarta administration is turning the erosion process on its head and reclaiming mud from the city's rivers to use as soil for green spaces. 

Mounds of mud line the banks of Jakarta's trash-clogged and turbid rivers. Dredged during the daytime, they are trucked each night to a designated site. 

Budi Widiantoro, deputy head of the Jakarta Public Works Agency, said the dredged mud was taken to BMW Park in North Jakarta to eventually be used to make way for a green area. 

BMW Park was originally designated as a green area during the city's "Clean (Bersih), Humane (Manusiawi), Dignified (Wibawa)" program in the 1960s. But since the early 1990s, as many as 1,400 squatter families took over the land. Last August, the city administration evicted the families in an effort to reclaim the city's green spaces. 

The city says it plans to cart mud from 12 out of 13 rivers in Jakarta to the site before turning it into a dedicated park and international stadium. 

"The mud will be used to build up the land, after which it will be planted with trees," Budi said. 

He added the agency excavated the rivers annually to mitigate flooding, but the start of the project depended on the disbursement of the city budget. 

"To dredge the rivers, the agency needs Rp 23 billion (US$2.1 million)," he said. 

The project will dredge 243,322 cubic meters of mud from waterways, with operations already underway, running from November through to December. 

The city administration will also be helped out by the donation of two used boats from the Dutch government to help in the dredging efforts, Budi added. 

The boats will do the actual dredging, with trucks at the ready to cart the mud to the designated dump site. 

"The boats are used ones, we will replace them with new ones after the trial period," Budi said. 

The public works agency plans to take the mud to designated areas in Ancol and Jembatan Tiga, North Jakarta, if there is no more space at BMW Park. 

Beginning next year, the city administration will dredge major rivers in Jakarta, using a US$150 million loan from the World Bank. 

"The loan disbursement is still being processed," Budi said. 

Jakarta's rivers used to run clean and deep, but as the city developed, the amount of eroded earth and garbage pouring into them caused them to grow shallower and filthier. During the rainy season, areas along riverbanks are prone to flood. 

The city's flood-prone areas are: Sunter Agung, Koja, Penjaringan and Rawa Badak in North Jakarta; Bukit Duri, Pondok Karya and Bintaro in South Jakarta; Petamburan, Bendungan Hilir, Kebon Melati, Karet Tengsin, Tanah Abang, Kemayoran, Gunung Sahari Utara and Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta; Rawa Buaya, Kapuk and Tegal Alur in West Jakarta; and Cawang and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta. (fmb)