Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) Commission D Vice Chairman, Nova Harivan Paloh fully supports the construction of the River Water Space (RLS) to control flooding in Jakarta.

This is a good breakthrough

As known, there are already three RLS built, namely the Brigif RLS in Jakagakarsa, South Jakarta, which has a storage volume of about 256,000 cubic meters, Lebak Bulus RLS with a storage volume of 44,000 cubic meters, and Pondok Ranggon RLS with a storage volume of 890,000 cubic meters.

According to him, it is a form of naturalization of the river and is used as a temporary shelter during extreme rains in order to reduce the impact of inundation in Jakarta.

"This is a good breakthrough, as it can accommodate a fairly swift river flow from upstream and anticipate overflowing waters when it rains," he stated, Tuesday (10/11).

He admitted the construction took quite a long time because there were many technical and non-technical obstacles in the field, ranging from land acquisition, budget reconciliation, and other problems.

"I appreciate the Jakarta Provincial Government for being able to solve this problem. RLS is the first nature-based program in Indonesia that handles river water overflow." he expressed.

Hopefully, this flood control program could be continued. Besides accommodating rainwater, it also has a function as a Blue Open Space (RTB) which will restore the ecosystem.

"We will keep supporting the Jakarta Government to make Jakarta free from floods and inundation," he stressed.