Ciawi and Sukamahi Dams Inauguration, Heru will Comprehensively Handle Jakarta Floods

Hope this effort can overcome flooding in Jakarta

Jakarta Acting Governor, Heru Budi Hartono, witnessed the ceremonial ceremony for the Inauguration of the Ciawi Dam and Sukamahi Dam (Dry Dam or Dry Dam) in Bogor Regency, West Java, Friday (12/23).

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, symbolically inaugurated and signed the inscriptions of the Ciawi Dam and Sukamahi Dam. Its inauguration was also witnessed by Public Works and Housing Minister, Basuki Hadimuljono; Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister/National Land Agency Head, Hadi Tjahjanto; West Java Governor, Ridwan Kamil; and Bogo4 Acting Regent, Iwan Setiawan.

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"The Dry Dam is the first in Indonesia as a form of the government's seriousness in dealing with flooding in Greater Jakarta area and provides optimism that floods in Jakarta can be handled. As Jakarta Provincial Government, we want to say thank you to President, ministers, governor, government, and Bogor residents, as well as contractors for Ciawi and Sukamahi dams. Hope this effort can overcome flooding in Jakarta," expressed Acting Governor Heru.

He explained that it is one of the Jakarta Government's efforts together with the Central Government through the Public Works and Housing Ministry, which is included in the Jakarta flood control system master plan. It is a joint commitment to handling and controlling floods in Jakarta and its surrounding areas comprehensively from upstream to downstream.

"These dams were built to reduce the water of the Ciliwung River when the rainy season arrives. With this function, they are included in the National Strategic Project (PSN)," he explained.

In his speech, the President stressed that Jakarta has three major problems from time to time, namely floods, congestion, and spatial planning. Hence, he wanted these problems, especially the problem of flooding in the Jakarta area and its surroundings, to be handled with good management consistently and comprehensively through increased cooperation or synergy with various parties and stakeholders.

"Now let's talk about flooding. Floods in Jakarta, whoever the governor is, must be consistent in solving them. Here are Jakarta and West Java governors, please resolve the flood in Jakarta consistently, both those relating to the reservoir (or dam) are completed, normalize 13 rivers in Jakarta, and Ciliwung crossing channel to BKT must be fixed soon. Including Sea and Giant Sea walls and the existing pumps must be arranged with better management. If it is not completed, how long will Jakarta always be flooded?,' he explained.

He added that the Ciawi Dam began to be built in stages in 2016. It has a capacity of 6.05 million m3 with an inundation area of 39.49 hectares. It was designed to reduce the flood discharge that enters Jakarta by blocking the flow of water from Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango before it reaches the Katulampa Weir which then flows into the Ciliwung River.

"Insya Allah (God willing), more or less later 12 sub-districts will no longer be affected because of these dams," he explained.

As for the information, the Ciawi Dam itself is a zonal random fill dam with a sloping core. The dam has 55.00 meters in height, 334.50 meters in length, and 9.00 meters in width. It can reduce the water of the Ciliwung River before it reaches Jakarta with 111.75 cubic meters per second capacity.

Then the Sukamahi Dam was built starting in 2017. It has a capacity of 1.68 million cubic meters and an inundation area of 5.23 hectares with the benefit of being able to reduce water by 15.47 cubic meters per second. It can reduce water from several tributaries that flow into Ciliwung, such as Sukabirus River.

While downstream in Jakarta, the Ciliwung River is under the normalization stage, where the Central Government and Jakarta Provincial Government have also completed the additional Manggarai and Karet sluice gates and are currently completing the Ciliwung River crossing channel to the East Flood Canal. By doing so, the flood discharge at the Manggarai Sluice Gate is estimated to be 570 m3/second.

Besides having the benefit of being the mother of Jakarta's flood control system, the Ciawi and Sukamahi dams, which are located on the upper reaches of the Ciliwung River, can be developed into tourism destinations.

Both have been arranged in such a way because they are projected as educational tours or ecotourism complete with forests and conservation. Because it has the potential of natural resources that prioritize ecosystem protection. Public facilities are designed very aesthetically which combines modern technology and local wisdom values, thus they become instagramable landscapes.