One of the things Basuki “BTP” Tjahaja Purnama — the former Jakarta governor formerly known as Ahok — was most praised for was his efforts to reduce flooding in the capital by normalizing the capital’s rivers. His successor, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, joined those who criticized BTP for the evictions of settlements along the river needed to carry out that work while also promising to solve the flooding problem in a different way.
Luckily for Anies, and Jakarta, recent rainy seasons have been relatively mild and the city has not faced any serious flooding issues during his tenure. Until early Tuesday morning, that is. Although it wasn’t the hardest rain to hit Jakarta in recent memory, yesterday’s early morning downpour led to severe flooding in parts of North and West Jakarta.
06.14 : Banjir menggenangi Jln. Mangga Dua Raya, Jakarta depan ITC Hotel Dusit. (P. Bejo) #ElshintaEdisiPagi pic.twitter.com/OYR3Vj7BMW
— Radio Elshinta (@RadioElshinta) March 4, 2019
Governor Anies was characterized by local media outlets as being reluctant to respond to their questions about the flooding yesterday, complaining that the media was making too much of it and with incomplete data.
“I hope you and your friends note the number of RT (villages), how long it lasted, because the sensationalism is not comparable to the actual conditions,” Anies said at City Hall yesterday as quoted by Tempo.
According to Kompas, Anies also did not want to answer any questions about his administration’s work on river normalization and flood prevention.
Although not widespread throughout the capital, one alarming aspect of yesterday’s flooding is how long it took to subside in some areas. The rain, which went from about 1am to 7am, led to high waters that lasted until the afternoon in some areas.
15:47 Banjir di dpn Mangga Dua raya, Jakpus & masih bisa dilintasi kendaraan. @paolos23 pic.twitter.com/tOc3sG21IO
— TMC Polda Metro Jaya (@TMCPoldaMetro) March 5, 2019
A report by CNN Indonesia said that data showed flooding mostly in areas of North and West Jakarta including Jelambar, Kedoya, Ancol, Pluit, Angke, and Tomang, Ratu Indah Park, and Green Garden housing with heights varying from 20 cm to 40 cm.
A warning unheeded?
In September, Bambang Hidayah, the head of the Ciliwung Cisadane River Region Central Office (BBWSCC), warned that 129 villages in Jakarta were under threat of flooding during this rainy season, out of a total of 268 villages located within the capital (especially during the height of rainy season in late February…).
The BBWSCC head said that the the potential for flooding around these rivers is still high because work on widening them and normalizing them with concrete has stalled since last year.
The primary delay for that, said Bambang, was the Jakarta Provincial Government’s reluctance to evict people living in illegally erected housing alongside the rivers, which has long been a contentious issue in Jakarta.
Anies campaigned for the governorship, in part, on promises that he would not evict people in the same way BTP had done.
@DKIJakarta @TMCPoldaMetro @RadioElshinta Banjir melanda pemukiman Dutamas-Jelambar Tubagus Angke, dari 10cm hingga selutut orang dewasa. #banjirjakarta pic.twitter.com/bmYwB78dZu
— irwan (@cay612) March 5, 2019
Bambang said that none of the normalization projects planned during BTP’s era are currently being worked on, adding that BBWSCC was attempting to minimize the danger by dredging the at-risk rivers, but admitted that it would not be as effective.
However, other administration officials argued that, even though the normalization programs were not currently being undertaken, the government was still managing flood risks by dredging and cleaning up the garbage in the most flood-prone rivers.
It looks like we’re now seeing a true test of how well Governor Anies’ administration is prepared to handle serious flooding and the fact that he prefers blaming the media to talking about the problem seems like a very bad sign.
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