Fight floods in Old Town first, says consultant

Tifa Asrianti and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Efforts to revitalize the Old Town in West and North Jakarta must first focus on installing proper drainage networks and pump stations in the area to prevent floods, an Old Town planning consultant said.

"Floods are indeed one of the big issues faced in the Old Town. The area has low elevation. It also has experienced many changes, including a growing population and more concrete buildings," said Mohammad Danisworo, the chairman of the Center for Urban Design Studies, which designed the master plan for the revitalization of the Old Town.

"It is only natural the area is flooded frequently, either from rain or high tides," he added.

"If we are to encourage investment in the area, I think pump stations have to be installed, the sewerage system needs to be improved and a drain system has to be built to avert flooding," he said.

On Friday, Governor Fauzi Bowo canceled a scheduled visit to the Old Town due to floods in the capital. He was supposed to tour the area in a "trolley" -- a four-wheeled semi-open tour minibus.

However, the main point of access to the Old Town from the south, the intersection of Jl. Asemka and Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, was heavily flooded, forcing motorists to wait in traffic jams for hours.

"The road in front of the Bank Mandiri Museum flooded, but the water was not very high. Water did not enter the museum," Kartum Setiawan, a research and development employee at the museum, told The Jakarta Post on Friday afternoon.

"Water inundated the parking area at the back of the building. But we pumped the water out," Kartum said.

The Bank Mandiri Museum is located across the road from the Kota busway terminal in West Jakarta.

Floods also affected the Maritime Museum, which is located next to the Pasar Ikan sluice gate in North Jakarta.

Sukma Wijaya, a security guard at the museum, said the museum was flooded with one centimeter of water on Friday morning. However, he said the museum's courtyard was flooded with 30 centimeters of water, forcing the museum's management team to close it down.

He said sandbags were only useful to prevent seawater from entering the museum, with very little that could be done about the rain that had been pouring down since Thursday evening.

"We will keep the museum closed until we can dry the floors. We don't want visitors to slip over and get injured," Sukma told The Jakarta Post.

He said museum staff moved a lot of items to the second floor in November when high tides flooded the building.

Several other buildings in the area were reportedly free from flooding on Friday.

"The city administration should finance flood control efforts in the Old Town. I'm optimistic with technology and sufficient funds, the Old Town could be revitalized regardless of the floods," Danisworo told the Post on Friday.

He said the city should involve the Public Works Agency in revitalization efforts.

"But the agency should not work alone. It should carry out any work in accordance with the master plan," Danisworo said.

"The administration should be more serious in its efforts to address flood problems in the area. Otherwise investors won't want to go there."