Deputy Governor of Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria reiterated that infiltration wells, constructed by the authority to prevent flooding, have benefited the province in the last two years.

“We have witnessed and experienced the effectiveness of infiltration wells in the last two years,” Patria stated at the Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday while countering criticism from the PDI-P fraction in the Jakarta province legislature (DPRD).

The work to construct infiltration wells has actually been carried out from the earlier provincial administrations, he noted.

“The infiltration well construction program was initiated by the earlier administration, and the wells have proven to help the floodwaters recede sooner,” Patria noted.

Government policies, including those on flood control, have received inputs from regional working units and undergone legislature consideration that could modify the proposal before the program can be implemented, the deputy governor explained.

“We laud the consideration and suggestions of legislature members, and we hope the deliberations would be continued by the relevant parliament commission,” Patria remarked.

Earlier, Jakarta DPRD member Agustina Hermanto of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction had criticized flood control policies conceived by the Jakarta authority and suggested cuts on several measures, including the infiltration wells construction program.

“We suggested cuts to unclear measures, such as the infiltration wells construction program, and to redirect the fund for river normalization,” she stated.

Supporting her view, the PDI-P faction head in the Jakarta DPRD, Gembong Warsono, confirmed the party caucus had expressed its opposition to the budget allocation of Rp100 billion (around US$7 million) for the infiltration wells construction program in 2022.

The party believes that the benefits of infiltration wells were disproportionate with the budget spent for the construction to control flooding in Jakarta, he noted.

“The executive proposed Rp100 billion to be allocated for the construction of infiltration wells in next year’s budget even after they proposed a greater Rp416 billion (around US$29.1 million) budget for the same program for this year’s budget,” Warsono stated at the Jakarta DPRD complex on Friday (Nov 12).

Source: Antara News