Jakarta Acting Governor, Heru Budi Hartono accompanied President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo when inspecting the normalization work of the Ciliwung River, Jalan MT Haryono, Pancoran, South Jakarta yesterday.

This river normalization is approximately 17 kilometers left

It was also attended by Public Works and Public Housing Minister, Basuki Hadmuljono and Trade Minister and Agrarian Reform and Spatial Planning Minister, Hadi Tjahjanto.

Jokowi said this normalization project had long stopped. Until now, the work on the Ciliwung River normalization has only left 17 kilometers and is targeted to be fully completed by the end of 2024.

"This river normalization is approximately 17 kilometers left. After stopping for a while, we will start soon," he expressed, Wednesday (2/22).

According to him, the government had carried out land acquisition at several points, especially in Rawajati and Pangadegan areas. Therefore, construction could begin.

"Starting tomorrow, Pengadegan will start paying for land acquisition, thus later the points that have been acquired will go straight to road construction," he explained.

He hoped that the project work could minimize flooding in Jakarta.

"Insya Allah (God willing), this normalization will be completed in 2024 and it will greatly reduce flooding because water from above is also held back by the Ciawi Dam and Sukamahi Dam," he explained.

The Ciliwung River normalization is part of the master plan for Jakarta's flood control system from upstream to downstream. It aims to restore the width of the Ciliwung River to its normal condition, which is 35-50 meters.

The scope of normalization work includes strengthening of cliffs, construction of embankments, and construction of inspection roads with a width of 6-8 meters along the Ciliwung River. Also, increasing the flow capacity from 200 cubic meters per second to 570 cubic meters per second and rearranging the area around the Ciliwung River.