Government To Build Dams in W JavaTo Control Flooding

Bogor, West Java, Jan 20 (Antara) - The government will build two dams in the Ciliwung upstream area as part of efforts to control flooding in Jakarta. The director general of water resources of the ministry of public works, Muhammad Hasan, said the decision to build dams in Ciawi and Sukamahi was made following a meeting in Katulampa here on Monday of the regional governments of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi and Cianjur in West Java. "God willing, work on the project will commence in 2015," he stated, adding that details of the plan will soon be released and the land marked for it will be acquired immediately. He noted that the funds for construction will be provided by the public works ministry, while funding for the land acquisition will be undertaken by the Jakarta administration. He claimed the management of small lakes locally known as "situ" will now be handed over by the public works service to the governments in their respective areas for optimization of the lakes` function. Regarding the construction of a channel from Ciliwing to Cisadane River, coordination efforts have yet to be arranged with the heads of Tangerang and Tangerang Selatan Districts as well as with the Tangerang city mayor, who did not attend the meeting. West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan said the meeting was a new chapter in history because it had gathered the chief officials of the central, provincial, and district as well as city governments to reach an agreement on how to handle the floods in the capital city. "All have gathered to agree upon the framework for controlling floods in the capital city," he remarked. Regarding the meeting, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo noted that it would be the last one aimed at settling the problem of flooding in the capital city. "This was the last (meeting). We have so far only met (each other), but no solution was offered, and so, we have agreed that this meeting will be the last," he explained. He said the talks had been good and that decisions had been made to start the construction of the Ciawi and Sukamahi dams, and the land acquisition for the project will be finalized this year. "The construction of the dams will begin next year, and the land acquisition will be completed this year. The funds for the construction will be provided by the public works service, while funds for land acquisition will be provided by Jakarta," he stated. "The results of the meeting were great. It is hoped the two mega projects will reduce the flow of water into Jakarta," he added.