The Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) Commission D says the Jakarta Water Resources (SDA) Agency must prepare for the upcoming rainy season.

River normalization is also a priority

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the potential for extreme weather in the form of strong winds and heavy rain that comes suddenly often occurs during the transition from the dry season to the rainy season like now.

Jakarta DPRD Commission D Chairwoman, Ida Mahmudah said immediate anticipation was made to reduce the potential for flooding during the rainy season, namely draining reservoirs, artificial lakes (embung), and water channels connected to 13 rivers in Jakarta.

"The draining is done to make channels, reservoirs, and artificial lakes accommodate water in large quantities from the heavy rainfall that will occur in the future," she expressed, after the DPRD Budget Committee meeting, Tuesday (10/31).

He also hoped that urban village heads throughout Jakarta would start mobilizing RT/RW administrators to invite residents in densely populated settlements to hold cleanup action.

"This is done to smoothen water flow in the channels when it rains optimally," she hoped.

Her party supports flood management efforts in Jakarta by allocating a budget in the draft City Budget (APBD) 2024 amounting to more than Rp 2 trillion.

"The budget allocation for flood management is spread across various activities, including dredging microchannels and similar budgets at the sub-agency level," she explained.

Her party also agreed with the Jakarta Provincial Government regarding the priority for flood management, focusing on normalizing the Ciliwung River.

"Besides draining, river normalization is also a priority which will be carried out in 2024," she added.

Her party had not allocated a budget to purchase land to construct reservoirs and artificial lakes.

"The SDA Agency doesn't need to buy land, but can use land belonging to other OPDs to make a reservoir or an artificial lake," she stated.