City officials in the Indonesian capital Jakarta have upgraded their recently announced deep sewer plan with a move to replicate Kuala Lumpur’s stormwater and road tunnel system (SMART).
A 22km long flood relief and road tunnel system is envisaged and a budget of around US$540M is attached to the scheme. The city hopes that about 70% of the project funding will come from private companies.
Jakarta is planning on a feasibility study leading to design work being finished in two years time for construction to then begin within a year.
Firdaus Ali, a member of the Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory Body, said: “If everything runs smoothly, the administration can complete the technical design by 2009 and start construction by 2010.”
The 12m diameter tunnel would be built between Jalan MT Haryono in East Jakarta to Muara Angke in West Jakarta. The tunnel would be integrated with the East and West flood canals.
Firdaus said: “At first we proposed the construction of a deep tunnel intended to cope with annual flood problems. But we have now integrated highways, wastewater management and a water recycling system like those in Singapore and Malaysia into the design.”
Jakarta deputy governor Fauzi Bowo said the city administration had approved the tunnel concept but had yet to decide when the project would begin. He believed the central government would give the green light to the scheme as well as help fund the project.
Firdaus added that an international investment seminar will be organised to attract foreign interest in the scheme, and that it was likely to see representation from the Islamic Development Bank and Malaysia.
The tunnel was proposed a few years ago but has been revived following fatal floods in February that killed more than 80 people (T&TI, April, p14). Head of the water regulatory body, Achmad Lanti, said the tunnel project ‘is a good alternative for Jakarta because there will be no need for land acquisition’.
