THE CILIWUNG RIVER, a major contributor to Jakarta's floods, is clogged with sedimentation and garbage. Originating on West Java's Mount Pangrango, the river narrows, runs shallow and frequently overflows its banks.

In East Jakarta's Kampung Melayu area, the waterway declines to around 10 meters in width. The water is a mere meter away from some front doors near the Jalan KH Abdullah Syafi'ie Bridge. One Singapore-based researcher found that the riv