"All potential resources will be fully utilized, both in human resources and equipment. They must be utilized quickly, precisely, and accurately when handling floods," Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said on Wednesday.
To prepare disaster mitigation response, the Jakarta government held Posts and Field Rehearsals to train officials, with support from the National Police (Polri), Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI), the community, and disaster volunteers, in dealing with the worst-case scenarios during disasters.
"It takes multi-stakeholder synergy and PentaHelix collaboration between the government, TNI, Polri, community, academics, business sector, and the mass media to optimize disaster mitigation," Patria noted.
The Jakarta government has made efforts to anticipate floods, including dredging rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and cleaning ditches to increase water drainage capacity, he said. The government has also prepared facilities and infrastructure for flood mitigation, he added.
Related news: Infiltration wells effective in preventing floods in Jakarta
Patria said that his office has asked personnel to remain alert for heavy rain of high intensity.
"We had socialized the community to continue updating weather forecast information and be on the alert for early flood warnings," Patria informed.
The Jakarta government is also building 18 thousand infiltration wells, or 67 percent of the target of 26 thousand infiltration wells, he said.
Responding to criticism from Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) member from PDI, Perjuangan, Patria said that in the last two years, the infiltration wells in Jakarta have effectively suppressed flooding.
"It has been seen that in the past two years the effectiveness of infiltration wells is quite good," he remarked.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut S W, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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