The President conveyed three important things to me. The first is flood management, (then) spatial planning, and traffic jams.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked Heru Budi Hartono, who has been elected the acting governor of Jakarta, to focus on tackling three priority issues: flooding, spatial planning, and traffic congestion.

"The President conveyed three important things to me. The first is flood management, (then) spatial planning, and traffic jams," Hartono informed at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Hartono, who was the head of the presidential secretariat, was appointed as the acting governor of Jakarta by the Final Assessment Team (TPA) during a meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on October 7, 2022.

Jakarta has a good blueprint for overcoming traffic congestion that has been implemented since the era of Governor Wiyogo Atmodarminto's leadership, he said.

The blueprint also translated into the TransJakarta transportation program during Governor Sutiyoso’s administration.

Hartono said that he will continue the construction of the TransJakarta mass transportation mode as well as MRT.

"The progress of integrated transportation such as the MRT must be continued, not only from Lebak Bulus to Kota, but also from Pulo Gadung to Dukuh Atas," he added.

He informed that Jokowi also called for collaboration between the Jakarta provincial government and the central government in developing mass transportation.

"The President also said that there were several other forms of transportation, such as the LRT, (on) which (the central government) can collaborate with the local government," Hartono added.

Regarding the flooding issue, he said that all Jakarta governors have made efforts to handle it. In the near future, he will coordinate with the relevant ministries and non-ministerial institutions to increase the effectiveness of flood prevention measures in Jakarta.

"For example, we can handle flooding through river normalization, (installing a) pump house polder (system), and mobile pumping," he added.

Regarding the flood prevention program initiated during Governor Anies Baswedan’s administration, which involved the construction of infiltration wells, Hartono said the program was not bad.

"All of Governor Baswedan's programs are quite good. We will review the placement and agencies who have previous experience with the program," he added.

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Translator: Indra Arief P, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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