City announces plans for flood early warning system

Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 11/23/2009 10:14 PM

The Jakarta administration will develop an early warning system for areas around the Pesanggrahan River in South Jakarta, to mitigate possible flooding in this rainy season.

Since the Situ Gintung dam burst earlier this year, the areas have become more prone to flooding, because the dam that once retained flood water from the river is no longer in place.

Deputy Governor Prijanto said the system would station several workers in the former dam area who could make quick calls to heads of nearby residential areas whenever water levels exceeded acceptable limits.

“We will build a good early warning system. If the dam shows sign of flooding, people around Pesanggrahan river have to know about it,” Prijanto said Monday at City Hall.

However, the Jakarta Administration could not do anything related to the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the Situ Gintung dam, which burst on March 27 during the rainy season, Prijanto said.

Besides making the early warning system, he said he would order the mayors of South and West Jakarta to provide temporary shelters for residents whose houses may be affected by future floods.

The administration also plans to station dinghies and emergency response teams in areas near the river, to minimize the time it takes aid to reach flood areas, Prijanto said.

The head of Environmental Task Force NGO, Ahmad Safrudin, said the move was too late since the Situ Gintung catastrophe had happened eight months ago.

“The city should have developed an early warning system straight after the dam burst, not at the beginning of this rainy season.

“But it’s better late than never,” he added.