Expert blames city for flood

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sutiyoso's Jakarta administration should be held responsible for the massive floods that crippled the city in February this year, environmental researcher Erwin Iskandar said Thursday.

Standing as an expert witness for flood victims at the Central Jakarta District Court, Erwin, the head of Trisakti University's research institute, said the local administration should have been able to properly anticipate the February floods.

"Jakarta has been flooded for the past 400 years. With the help of his advisors, the governor should have been able to anticipate (the floods) through a number of efforts, including fixing the flood gates built during the Dutch colonial era," he said.

Full Story