Officials in Puncak, Floods in Jakarta
On Citamiang Hill, Puncak, they build resorts as luxurious as five-star hotels. The owners include former government officials, governors, businesspeople, and—most of all—generals. A Tempo investigation discovered that these getaways were constructed by breaking the rules. They ignored the fact that this area plays a special role in preventing floods in Jakarta.
If this situation is allowed to continue, the damage to Citamiang will result in increasingly severe flooding in the Indonesian capital. This matter has become very important in the run-up to the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which will take place in August. On their shoulders is the burden to reduce the factors which contribute to flooding in Jakarta. The following is a report of Tempo’s investigation on this hilly area called Puncak, where illegal bungalows spring up like wildflowers.
May 22, 2007
GENERAL Wiranto is not a resident of Citamiang, a rural community in North Tugu. Yet in the cool-weather district of Cisarua, Bogor regency, his namesake is popular because of a particular villa.
Villa Ragananda—as the words carved in a stone wall near the entryway indicate—is nowhere near any of the populated areas. The bungalow is almost at the peak of Citamiang, 7 kilometers from the main road which runs through Puncak. The road there i
...