Jakarta Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, admitted collapsed levee in Cijantung, East Jakarta was caused by residents widening their houses up to the river. As the result, river flow was disturbed and eroded the wall.

Levee in Cijantung, Lebak Sawah was collapsed because resident’s houses covered a half of the river

“Levee in Cijantung, Lebak Sawah was collapsed because resident’s houses covered a half of the river. It means the water will hit the river wall much,” he said, Monday (2/15).

He added that the handling was slow since the heavy equipment was unable to reach the location.

“The location is too crowded,” he added.

Basuki predicted that South and East Jakarta will still be flooded since the handling is not maximal, while North and Central Jakarta are much better.