January 23, 2026 | 06:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung responded to the criticisms from non-governmental organizations that assessed the flood control in the capital city as merely repeating old methods and having short-term effects through weather modification. Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) and Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) were among the critics.
"I do want to be criticized. But the principle is, actually, we are not repeating the old ways. Our policy is different," said Pramono at Jakarta City Hall on Friday, January 23, 2026.
Governor Pramono emphasized that the Jakarta Provincial Government does not solely rely on weather modification but also implements a river normalization program. He stated that this method has never been comprehensively implemented before. "Normalization of Ciliwung, normalization of Krukut, normalization of the old Cakung River have never been done," he said.
According to Pramono, the river normalization policy requires a large budget and is risky as it may not be popular due to the relocation of affected residents. He mentioned that the government must relocate the residents and provide alternative housing, such as apartments. "The government has to relocate the people and prepare apartment housing," said Pramono.
He stated that the weather modification operation is only used as a short-term response to extreme weather. "Because the weather is given by nature," he said.
Previously, Walhi Jakarta criticized the flood control policy through weather modification. Through a post on the Instagram account @pulihkanjakarta, Walhi considered this approach to be incorrect.
Walhi emphasized that rain is a part of the natural cycle needed by living creatures. The intervention in rain through weather modification, according to the organization, potentially causes long-term environmental problems, including disturbances to soil fertility and groundwater sources.
Furthermore, Walhi considers the dependence on short-term technical solutions, such as weather modification, to actually cover up the main problems in Jakarta's spatial planning and environmental management. The organization stated that this approach is at risk of masking the failure of structural policies in managing space and the environment.
Meanwhile, LBH Jakarta considers Governor Pramono's statement blaming rainfall as the main cause of floods to merely repeat the old pattern that covers up the root of the problem. For LBH Jakarta, Jakarta's floods are not merely natural disasters, but are the result of spatial planning and development policies that overlook environmental carrying capacity, allow land use conversion, narrow the water space, and fail to protect drainage systems and infiltration areas.
Read: Jakarta Flooding Widens to 140 Neighborhood Units and 16 Roads
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