Downstream of Rivers in Bekasi Has Been Forgotten For Too Long

The floods in Bekasi regency indicated that there was a problem with the waterways. The improvement of the Citarum River should also include the downstream part of the river and the construction of a drainage system.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

A number of residents walk on flooded streets in Pantai Harapan Jaya Village, Muara Gembong, on Friday (3/3/2023) afternoon. Floods have submerged this place since February 24, 2023.

BEKASI, KOMPAS — The floods that inundated residential areas in Bekasi regency, West Java, for the last eight days have not receded. The intensity of the rains, bad drainage and sedimentation in the downstream and estuaries of a number of rivers have worsened the flooding in Bekasi.

The area of Pantai Harapan Jaya village, Muara Gembong district, Bekasi regency, has been hit by floods for the past eight days. Some residents fled to relatives' homes and some others still stayed at their houses. Part of the road connecting the village was flooded and impassable for vehicles. Residents had to struggle through floods using boats when doing activities outside the home.

Floods with a height of about 120 centimeters in the past two days were believed to be the worst in the last few decades in the area. Similar floods occurred in the 1960s.

“In the past, floods could last up to three months. However, at that time we were still able to carry out our activities because we lived in a stilt house," said Aam (65), Friday (3/3/2023), in Pantai Harapan Jaya village.

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The floods that occurred at that time came from the Ciherang River. Residents said the river was the estuary of the Piket River, Cikarang River, Larangan River and Bekasi River. In the 1970s, the central government built the Cikarang Bekasi Laut (CBL) canal.

Apart from building the CBL canal, Aam also said in 1979 the central government dredged the Ciherang estuary. Dredging in the estuary at that time reached a depth of 12 meters. It was the last dredging ever carried out by the government.

This year's floods also came from the Ciherang River.

“Since then, our area has never been flooded. We left the stilt house and started building a brick house," said the father of four.

Residents in Pantai Harapan Jaya village have been flood-free for 20 years. The overflow of floods was experienced by residents again in the 2000s. The annual flooding is slowly expanding and the worst will return in 2023.

This year's floods also came from the Ciherang River. The Ciherang overflow inundated rice fields in Sukakarya, Sukawangi, Sukatenang and Muara Gembong.

CBL change Bekasi

Bekasi historian Ali Anwar said the CBL canal’s construction was carried out in 1970 and completed in the 1980s, which helped change the face of Bekasi. After the canal was completed, some of the rice fields and swamps in Bekasi changed their function.

“Because there were no more floods after the construction of the CBL canal, many large housing complexes were built in the area. In the past, Bekasi was known as an area of rice fields and swamps," Ali said on Friday afternoon.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

Pantai Harapan Jaya 03 Public Elementary School, Muara Gembong, was still flooded until Friday (3/3/2023). School students are closed and study online.

At that time, the development of residential areas expanded from Bekasi city to the Bekasi regency area. The settlement was built on former swamp land with light sedimentation. “Many houses were built without elevating the land. So when it rains, the water will inundate the area or park and become flooded," said Ali.

Another factor is the massive construction in the south of Bekasi, namely Bogor and Cianjur, West Java. As a result, water from upstream does not seep in and flows directly downstream carrying mud into the Piket River, Cikarang River, Bekasi River and Citarum River. Material deposits continued to accumulate for years until the downstream river in Bekasi, which empties into the north coast of the Java Sea, became shallow.

Acting Bekasi Regent Dani Ramdan said the flooding that occurred in his area this year was caused by various factors.

Apart from heavy rainfall and damaged drainage, flooding was also due to non-compliance by housing developers. There are many housing developers who, when building housing in new areas, neglect the regulation on the minimum height of the floor.

"Regarding the cause of river overflows, this time the floods came from the Cikarang River, CBL River, Cibeet River and Citarum River," said Dani, Friday night.

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He also acknowledged that there was shallow water in the Ciherang River. However, it was difficult to carry out dredging works in the river, he added.

"Before the flood occurred, we had coordinated with the Citarum River Basin Center for normalization of the river. However, they had a budget constraint. No budget has been allocated for Muara Ciherang," said Dani.

Meanwhile, the Bekasi regency Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency noted that as of Thursday (2/3) at 4 p.m. floods with water levels of 10-160 centimeters still inundated 20 of the total 23 subdistricts in the area. The total number of families affected by the floods reached 23,969 families or 95,535 people.

Dani said the distribution of floods that occurred this year, although its coverage was wide, was sporadic. The industrial area in Bekasi is not affected by the floods.

"The value of the losses due to the floods is still being calculated," he said. Padjadjaran University hydrology expert, Professor Chay Asdak, said the floods in Bekasi regency in the last week indicated that there was a problem with the waterways. The improvement of the Citarum River should also include the downstream part of the river and the construction of a good drainage system.

The problem is quite complex as the regional development planning has not yet prioritized an ideal drainage system. (ZO4)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.