Jabodetabek Floods and the Urgency of Spatial Planning Politics

The floods that recently struck the areas of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi are a reflection of the structural political problems in spatial planning in Indonesia. The dominance of economic interests in spatial planning policies is just one of them.

In general, the flooding that struck the Greater Jakarta area (Jabodetabek) was caused by heavy rains that had been ongoing since Monday (3/3/2025). The high rainfall resulted in floods reaching up to 3 meters in height, inundating more than 1,000 homes and vehicles, as well as blocking several roads.

The increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall, often exceeding 100 millimeters per day, significantly contributes to the occurrence of flooding.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency recorded that this extreme weather phenomenon could be triggered by climate change and atmospheric phenomena, such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), which has caused very heavy rainfall to pour over the Bogor area since March 2, 2025, with precipitation exceeding 110 mm per day.

High rainfall intensity in upstream areas, such as Bogor City and Bogor Regency, causes water flow to increase to downstream areas, including Jakarta and Bekasi (Kompas.com, 5/3/2025).

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) recorded 3,384 people displaced due to flooding in around 114 neighborhood units and two roads in Jakarta (Detik.com, 3/5/2025).

In Bekasi, flooding reached a height of up to 3.1 meters in several locations, submerging houses and public facilities, such as the Bekasi City Regional General Hospital, causing power outages and the evacuation of patients to other buildings. The train station in Bekasi was paralyzed by the flood, disrupting travel schedules and mobility of residents. Several malls were also affected by the flood, causing economic losses and temporary closures (Reuters.com, 5/3/2025).

As a comparison, the current situation, particularly in Bekasi, is reported to be the worst since 2020, when floods claimed 60 lives due to the highest recorded rainfall in history since records began in 1866. In addition to weather factors, flooding in Greater Jakarta is also linked to infrastructure conditions, such as inadequate drainage systems, as well as environmental factors, including land-use changes and land subsidence.

The massive flood that struck Greater Jakarta in March 2025 was not merely a natural phenomenon caused by heavy rainfall but also a manifestation of imbalances in urban spatial management. This is related to structural issues, particularly interregional coordination, spatial planning politics, and the loss of water absorption areas.

Sectoral ego among regional governments in development and spatial planning policies has made it difficult to create integrated flood control policies. For instance, development in the Bogor area does not always take into account its impact on Jakarta.

The absence of integrated regulations—even though there are institutions such as the Ciliwung Watershed Management Agency and the Integrated Management Committee for Jabodetabekpunjur—has resulted in policy implementation often being hindered by overlapping authorities between the central government, provinces, and regencies/cities.

Lack of cross-regional water management also results in heavy rains in the Puncak and Bogor areas, water flows rapidly into Jakarta without any adequate control system. If the polder and canal systems in Jakarta are not good enough, flooding becomes inevitable.

In the perspective of spatial politics, flooding always shows how spatial planning and management policies in the Jakarta metropolitan area are still colored by economic, political, and corporate interests that often ignore aspects of environmental sustainability. Many large property projects are built on land that should be water catchment areas, such as in East Jakarta, North Jakarta, and Bekasi.

As a result, rainwater cannot be absorbed properly, causing puddles and flooding. The development has an impact on changes in land use, such as the conversion of green open spaces and rice fields into residential or commercial areas, thereby reducing water absorption capacity.

Massive development of elite commercial and residential areas often does not consider the ecological capacity of the area, such as the existence of water catchment areas. Changes in land use from green areas and swamps to residential or industrial areas cause reduced soil absorption and increase the risk of flooding.

Projects such as reclamation in the coastal areas of Jakarta and development in green areas, river borders, and watersheds are worsening the situation. The dynamics of spatial politics that prioritize investment and the interests of capital owners over environmental carrying capacity are a clear example of political hegemony in the production of space, as expressed by Henri Lefebvre (The Production of Space, 1974).

The floods that occurred also showed how spatial politics in Jabodetabek tend to favor the upper middle class and big investors, while the urban poor are increasingly marginalized. This can be seen from the inequality in flood risk mitigation. Elite areas and business centers often get priority in the construction of drainage infrastructure, embankments, and water pumps.

In contrast, densely populated areas on riverbanks and low-lying areas—inhabited by low-income groups—are often the main victims of flooding without effective long-term solutions. Spatial policy formulation more often follows the logic of David Harvey's capitalization of space (Social Justice and the City, 2009), where space is produced and controlled by the power of capital, while the lower classes are forced to survive in conditions that are increasingly vulnerable to disaster.

The cliché problem is that even though there are spatial planning regulations that regulate protected areas and water catchment areas, many projects continue to run because of economic and political interests, including simplified licensing.

In addition, there is also the loss of water catchment areas, for example Puncak and Bogor are the main water catchment areas that function to absorb rainwater before flowing to Jakarta and Bekasi. The construction of villas, hotels, and settlements in this area has caused massive deforestation so that water flows directly downstream without being absorbed. The loss of the Puncak area as a water catchment area is a serious problem in efforts to prevent flooding in downstream areas.

The use of asphalt and concrete in urban development makes it difficult for rainwater to seep into the ground. As a result, the volume of water flowing into rivers has increased drastically, causing flooding in Jakarta and Bekasi. Green open spaces that can function as water catchment areas are also minimal in Jakarta and its surroundings. In addition, many lakes and reservoirs have decreased in capacity due to sedimentation and development around them.

The floods of early March 2025 reflect the structural problems of spatial politics in Indonesia. The dominance of economic interests over spatial policies, the marginalization of vulnerable communities, weak coordination between regions, and the politicization of disaster issues show how spatial governance in the Jakarta metropolitan area is still far from the principles of sustainability and social justice.

Addressing flooding must focus on long-term planning, ecologically based regional management, and consistent policy implementation. It is important to revise spatial planning policies so that development takes into account aspects of disaster mitigation and environmental carrying capacity.

This is done, primarily, by designating upstream areas as permanent conservation zones and limiting the construction of new villas and settlements, while at the same time developing sustainable agriculture in upstream areas to prevent river erosion and sedimentation that worsens flooding downstream.

Then, in the downstream area, build embankments and automatic water gates to control river flow and prevent water overflows as per the concept of restoration and protection of water catchment areas by revitalizing remaining reservoirs, lakes, and swamps as well as urban canal and river systems to increase water discharge capacity.

Then, requiring every development project to have green space and artificial water absorption systems such as biopores and absorption wells to implementing a moratorium on development in flood-prone areas. The Blue-Green Infrastructure concept has actually been implemented in cities such as Singapore and Rotterdam to overcome flooding.

All of this is certainly inseparable from the coordination and synchronization of policies between regions. It is important to integrate spatial planning policies between provinces and districts/cities so that there is no overlap in planning. A coordination model such as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in the United States can be applied to synchronize spatial planning policies in Jabodetabek, for example by forming a cross-regional flood management authority (e.g., Jabodetabek Flood Management Authority).

Structural solutions in spatial planning to overcome flooding must be oriented towards sustainable development, protection of water catchment areas, and better cross-regional coordination. Without fundamental changes in spatial planning and urban planning, flooding will continue to be an annual threat to Jabodetabek and other cities in Indonesia. Without fundamental changes in spatial planning, flooding in Jabodetabek will continue to recur as a consequence of spatial policies that do not support sustainability.

We all hope that the regional heads who were inaugurated last February will be able to formulate synergistic and sustainable spatial planning policies as a top priority. A serious effort is needed in spatial planning political reform.

Galang Geraldy, Lecturer of Political Science UWKS; Doctoral Student of Social Sciences, Specializing in Spatial Planning Politics