Ninth Day of Flooding, Pumping Remains the Government's Mainstay

SEMARANG, KOMPAS — Water pumping or dewatering remains the government's mainstay in addressing the flooding that, as of Thursday (30/10/2025), or the ninth day, continues to inundate several points in the city of Semarang and Demak Regency, Central Java. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Central Java considers this method to be less effective as it only serves as a temporary solution, rather than resolving the issue.

Flooding with heights ranging from 10 centimeters (cm) to 150 cm continues to inundate dozens of locations in the city of Semarang, such as in the North Semarang, Gayamsari, Genuk, Pedurungan, and East Semarang districts. The flood has submerged residential areas inhabited by 40,252 individuals from 22,653 families.

In Demak Regency, floods with heights of 10-50 cm continue to inundate 13 villages in the districts of Karangtengah, Sayung, Guntur, Karanganyar, and Wonosalam as of Thursday. Not only in residential areas, the floods have also submerged the Pantura Demak main road, which subsequently caused several vehicles attempting to pass through to break down.

The flood that inundated Ketitang Wetan Village, Batangan District, Pati Regency has not completely receded as of Thursday. Since Thursday (23/10/2025), the area has been affected by flooding due to the breach of the river embankment following heavy rain that fell for several hours.

Flooding also affected 28 villages in 14 sub-districts in Grobogan Regency since Tuesday (21/10/2025). However, the flood caused by the breach of the river embankment was reported to have completely receded by Sunday (26/10/2025).

The Central Java Provincial Government is striving to resolve the flooding issues in its region through various methods. The most extensive approach is the use of pumps. The Governor of Central Java, Ahmad Luthfi, has even requested an increase in the number of pumps to address the flooding, particularly in the areas of Demak and Semarang.

"So, use as many pumps as possible so that the roads run smoothly again and people don't get submerged," said Luthfi, Thursday.

As of Thursday, the Pemali Juana River Basin Office (BBWS) had operated 38 pumps, consisting of 7 existing pumps with a capacity of 14 cubic meters/second, 3 floating pumps with a capacity of 6 cubic meters/second, and 28 mobile pumps with a capacity of 10.36 cubic meters/second to address flooding in Demak and Semarang. The total capacity of the pumps operating at the main inundation points is said to reach 30,360 liters per second.

Luthfi also requested that the normalization of several rivers be undertaken to accommodate a greater volume of water during heavy rainfall. In Semarang City, for instance, the rivers that Luthfi deemed necessary for normalization are the Babon, Sringin, and Tenggang Rivers. These rivers fall under the jurisdiction of the Directorate General of Water Resources of the Ministry of Public Works.

Luthfi also proposed the dredging of sediment in the Terboyo retention pond. This is considered important to increase the capacity of the retention pond and could be a solution to address flooding in the cities of Semarang and Demak.

In addition, Luthfi is also relying on weather modification operations (OMC) to reduce the intensity of rainfall. The OMC has been ongoing in Central Java since Saturday (25/10/2025) and is planned to continue until the end of October.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Semarang, Agustina Wilujeng, also encouraged the increase of water pump capacity and the dredging of retention ponds. According to her, the existing water pumps are still not optimal for draining the water accumulation concentrated in the eastern region of Semarang.

"We hope that the pump's capacity is increased because the water flow continues to rise and the rain has indeed been affected by the weather, but it seems unable to hold and ultimately the rain falls," said Agustina.

She added that out of the 119 water pumps owned by the city of Semarang, the majority are located in the western and northern regions, which are currently relatively under control. However, the eastern areas such as Genuk and Muktiharjo still require additional intervention. This is because, based on reports from residents received by Agustina, the performance of the pumps can only reduce the water level by approximately 3 cm.

In the Coordination Meeting for Flood Management in Semarang City, the Deputy for Emergency Handling of the National Disaster Management Agency, Budi Irawan, stated that they have established a special task force for pumping as a solution to the flooding in Semarang and Demak. This task force was formed to assist in the operation of pumps and to supervise the pumping activities conducted around the clock.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) will also add a fleet of pumps that will work in shifts to channel water from the retention ponds to the Java Sea. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in other areas, such as Kudus and Jepara, is also requesting pump assistance.

"Besides the technical aspects of the pumps, we are providing operational support, from fuel to other logistical support," Budi said.

According to Budi, the flooding that has occurred in recent days is due to various factors. In addition to high rainfall, the construction of the Semarang-Demak Sea Embankment Toll Road has also contributed to the slow drainage of water from the land to the sea.

Therefore, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is urging the Central Java and Yogyakarta National Road Implementation Agency (BBJN) and the Pemali Juana Water Resources Management Agency (BBWS) to find a joint solution to prevent prolonged impacts. Budi added that the BNPB, BBJN, and BBWS have committed to expanding the water outlet for the Terboyo retention pond, including adding a larger water pump.

Efforts to address flooding in Semarang and Demak, which are deemed to have not yielded results, have been criticized by Walhi Central Java. Adetya Pramandira from Walhi Central Java believes that the flooding, which has become a long-standing issue in Central Java, continues to recur due to an inappropriate disaster management policy approach.

"The approach has always been technical, for instance, deploying as many water pumps as possible, repairing river embankments, and normalizing rivers. Meanwhile, the upstream areas that serve as water catchment zones are continuously damaged by massive development and mining activities. It is futile to normalize the rivers, repair or raise the embankments if the amount of water entering continues to increase because there are no longer any infiltration areas upstream," said Pramandira.

Pramandira stated that the flooding that has occurred in the downstream areas of Central Java is due to the disrupted hydrological cycle from the upstream, caused by massive development and mining. This condition is considered to make water flow uncontrollably, leading to river overflows and breaching river embankments, ultimately resulting in flooding.

To that end, Walhi hopes the government can review regional spatial planning policies related to extractive economic activities in upstream areas. The government is also expected to focus on disaster mitigation from its root causes, namely by limiting and closing various projects and business permits that damage upstream areas.

"Walhi recommends that the government restore the functions of upstream areas and river basins as recharge and protection zones. The government also needs to establish disaster management policies that focus on regions, considering the interconnections between different areas. Furthermore, it is necessary to halt technical policies as part of disaster mitigation," he said.