"There will be two actions. Firstly, in one year, the PUPR Ministry will handle the Bekasi river system starting from the confluence of the Cikeas and Cileungsi Rivers to the Bekasi river estuary. The contract of one of the packages has been signed, and the project will be implemented at the end of February 2021. God willing, it will be completed in two years," Hadimuljono said in a statement here on Sunday.
The implementation of Bekasi River normalization project has been intensively coordinated with the West Java Regional Government and the Bekasi City Administration, particularly concerning land acquisition.
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"The total length to be handled is 33 km. We, PUPR, have made a systemic plan comprising seven packages," he said.
For flood emergency handling at Pondok Gede Permai Housing, the PUPR Ministry will replace the damaged embankment with some 700 geobags.
"I ask for three days to finish filling in the geobags and install them here, so if it recedes, it will go straight in, not waiting to dry," the minister explained,
The flood in Pondok Gede Permai occurred after Bekasi River's 60 meter-long embankment broke down, following heavy rain that occurred early Saturday.
The flooding displaced 700 families in the housing complex. They were evacuated by a joint team comprising police officers and personnel of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Related news: Flooding submerges 12 sub-districts in West Java's Bekasi District
Translator: Aji Cakti, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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