Work on Ciliwung River project begins
22 May 2014Construction work on an underground water tunnel to connect the Ciliwung River in Bidaracina with Jakarta’s East Flood Canal (KBT) began on 9 May , according to the head of neighbourhood unit (RT) 6 of Cipinang Cempedak, Ms. Sari.
Project contractor PT Wijaya Karya (Wika) has been drilling holes along Jl. Otto Iskandar Dinata (Otista) III, which is the midpoint between the Ciliwung River and the KBT, to install pipes.
When completed, the 1.27km long tunnel will have a flow capacity of at least 60 cubic meters per second. The tunnel is expected to ease the load of the Ciliwung River, which often overflows and causes debilitating floods.
According to the Public Works Ministry, which is overseeing the project, the tunnel will run beneath the densely populated neighbourhoods along Jl. Otista and Jl. Otista III and across the traffic-congested Jl. D.I. Panjaitan in East Jakarta.
As Jl. Otista III connects Jl. Otista to Jl. D.I. Panjaitan, the tunnel construction has exacerbated traffic.
Officials from the Public Works Ministry and Wika [the contractor] didn't disclose when construction would finish, Sari said.
"We all understand that the tunnel is important for Jakarta citizens, and we support the construction. However, we hope the ministry and Wika will communicate better with residents," she said.
Businesses along Jl. Otista III have also been negatively affected.
Representatives from both the Public Works Ministry and Wika declined to comment on the complaints.
