The dark river moves slowly by. The Cengkareng Canal, flowing along the luxury Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) housing estate, looks like a swaying old drunk. Its movement is slow and its fat body looks as if it contains too much mud for its own good. Close to its estuary, a fisherman drags his stranded boat to the beach for repair.

Cengkareng Canal is a flood-controlling unit in the west of Jakarta. It serves as a reservoir receiving the water from 13 t