"I convey to the head of the Water Resources and Environment Agency that modernization is indeed necessary. We still rely on heavy excavators to remove the mud," he said during a visit to the Pluit Reservoir in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Anung explained that advanced flood control pumps are already being used in developed countries. However, procuring such equipment will require careful planning.
"Nowadays, in more developed countries, pumps are used because they are used for suction and so on, and the cost of pumps must be planned in advance. Because the costs are certainly very high," he noted.
He said that Jakarta currently has around 600 flood control pumps at 202 locations, one of which is the Pluit Reservoir.
The 80-hectare reservoir has 10 pumps with a capacity of 39 cubic meters per second, making it one of the main water reservoirs in Jakarta.
Therefore, he directed the Jakarta Water Resources Office and the Jakarta Environmental Office to maintain the reservoir and pumps.
"(Pluit Reservoir) is a top priority reservoir, and there are three pumps here that serve very important (VVIP) areas, including the palace and so on. They must be maintained because this is the true face of Jakarta, especially to determine whether VVIP areas will be affected or not if there is a flood in Jakarta," he said.
He assured that the flood control pumps at Pluit Reservoir are well-maintained and ready to operate to prevent flooding.
The Jakarta provincial government has dredged mud from Pluit Reservoir several times.
In 2022, the volume of the dredged mud reached 35,758 cubic meters (m³) and increased to 44,800 m³ in 2023.
In addition, water hyacinths growing in the area were also removed.
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Translator: Lia Wanadriani Santosa, Martha Herlinawati Simanju
Editor: Primayanti
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