Harvesting Water and Overcoming Flood
"Rain is not a calamity but a blessing for which we must be thankful because without rain what would become of us later. Water is the life source. The only thing to remember is how we can make use of rain water as the reserve to harvest during the next dry season".
So said Dr. Ir. Idung Risdianto, an Expertise Staff of the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB, when starting the discussion in an Interactive Dialogue in the RRI of Bogor recently. He said harvesting water and overcoming flood are the words of wisdom that is easy to say, but it is quite difficult in practice.
"There are three aspects that cause flooding: physical aspect (physiological factors of land), sociological and cultural factors (social attitude and behavior), and institutional aspects (both formal and informal). The flood in Bogor is generally the type of inundation accompanied by landslides, but there is also a temporary type possibly because of poor drainage. As is the case in the Anyar market, once the rain is over, the flood also stops," explained Dr. Idung.
Further, Dr. Idung explained, as for the physical aspect, the government is considered less concerned about urban spatial planning and layout. As a result, currently the water catchment areas can no longer determine because they are already occupied by buildings.
Buffer areas such as the areas along the rivers that pass and originate in Bogor have little catchment areas, so when there is a high rainfall, water discharge increases, and with no water absorption, then flood will occur in the downstream.
Clearly, if there is rain of high intensity in Bogor, Jakarta will get a direct impact of flooding. Therefore, it is necessary for the government or relevant institutions to take firm actions about the land regulation and disseminate it to the public so that people are aware that the risk of flooding is the responsibility not only of the government or certain agencies but also of us all, the people of Bogor who love its town, " concluded Dr. Idung. (Mtd)
