"The government remains committed to continuing to increase regional resilience to flood disasters through the development and strengthening of integrated, sustainable, and adaptive flood control infrastructure in response to climate change," Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo stated in Jakarta on June 30.
The ministry continues to improve the effectiveness of flood control infrastructure to reduce the potential risk of flooding and tsunamis, including by repairing three rivers in Palu City.
The 2018 earthquake and tsunami caused severe damage to the downstream section of Palu River, which is the primary river in the Palu-Lariang River Basin Area (DAS).
Additionally, sediment has accumulated in the drainage channels beneath the airport runway where the Kawatuna River flows and along the Ngia River, which is connected to an irrigation channel, thereby impacting the airport infrastructure and irrigation channels. The sediment buildup in these river bodies contributed to flash floods in 2019.
As a result, the government began repairing the three rivers in August 2022. As of now, the repairs are 81.14 percent complete and are expected to finish by 2025.
In the Palu River area, improvements include the construction of a 376-meter-long left-side and a 368-meter-long right-side river embankment, a 457-meter-long left-side and a 385-meter-long right-side coastal embankment, as well as dredging 800 meters of river sediment.
In the Kawatuna River area, two dam consolidation units, each 40.5 meters long and six meters high, are under construction along with six groundsill units measuring 17.7 meters in length and a revetment.
For the Ngia River area, three consolidation dam units are being built: one is 25.5 meters long and two are 21 meters long, along with a groundsill to reduce the river's current slope.
These repairs are expected to protect residents in Palu and an area of 133.7 hectares from floods and tsunamis.
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Translator: Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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