Banten Allocates IDR 35 Billion for Tangerang Floods

RRI.CO.ID, Tangerang – The Banten Provincial Administration is set to address future flooding in the Greater Tangerang area through a strategic disaster mitigation program. This year, an initial budget of IDR 35 billion (USD 2,084,325) has been allocated for the normalization of key watersheds (DAS).

Arlan Marzan, Head of the Banten Provincial Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Agency, conveyed that field surveys would commence immediately following a coordination meeting between regional administrations. One primary focus of the observation is the Cirarab River in Kutabumi Village, which traverses both Tangerang Regency and Tangerang City.

Arlan explained that the surveys aim to identify specific locations that remain prone to inundation. His team recently inspected the Sarakan Dam in Sukadiri, Tangerang Regency.

"Conditions there are normal. However, the flooding is actually occurring upstream. This indicates the presence of blockages," he noted in South Tangerang on Monday, January 26, 2026.

According to Arlan, the normalization intervention will involve sediment dredging and the construction of embankments. The survey results will determine which emergency points require immediate prioritization.

"Currently, the budget is allocated as a lump sum. We will later designate priority locations, specifically those acting as bottlenecks, because addressing the entire system at once would exceed current funding," added Arlan.

Evaluations conducted by the Governor of Banten alongside regional leaders identified river narrowing and illegal structures as the primary causes of the recent floods. These obstructions were found encroaching on watersheds across the Greater Tangerang area.

"Today, we held a coordination meeting to evaluate the floods that hit Banten Province, particularly the Greater Tangerang area, which has been the most severely impacted over the past few days," said Banten Governor, Andra Soni, on Monday, January 26, 2026.

Governor Andra emphasized that the discussions focused on coordinating post-flood efforts to ensure better mitigation in the coming years.

"We are not blaming the water levels or the unusually high rainfall intensity. Instead, we are working together to find concrete solutions that we must all implement," he concluded. (Annaila Azzahra/Bambang MBKA)