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DELTARES, FEBRUARY 2015
7
‘INDONESIA IS A
TESTING GROUND FOR
THEWATERWORLD’
Flooding in Indonesia is being tackled in several ways.
Arie Moerwanto, the water director of the Ministry of
Public Works: ‘I am afraid that I have no choice other
than to confront the problems and resolve them.’
BY EDWIN MOOIBROEK / PHOTO ED WRAY
E
very year, during the rainy season,
it’s the same old story: millions of
Indonesians face flooding. In general,
they seem to be resigned. They are
used to their homes being under water
or, if the worst comes to the worst,
going out onto the streets in rubber boats. Areas
in the capital, Jakarta, are particularly affected.
Here, the floods are not caused only by extreme
rainfall, but also by land subsidence: the sea
threatens to flow into the city.
Why is it so difficult to prevent flooding?
‘About 2 metres of water fall every year in
Indonesia. Large amounts can fall on one island,
while another island may be relatively unaffected.
In addition, the rain comes down in a period of
just four months. Java accounts for only four per
cent of the surface area of Indonesia, but more
than half of the population live there. That affects
land use, water quality and the environment. We
have to create reservoirs to capture the water
during the rainy season so that it can be used
during the dry season. But capacity is inadequate
at the moment.’
Surely that is easy to resolve?
‘In theory, yes. But measures like building dams
are extremely controversial. Overpopulation
means that people always have to be moved.
And purchasing land and moving people represent
a major challenge for us. We offer people land
elsewhere, or try to house them in flats. Indonesia
has approximately six thousand inhabited islands.