PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Water Resources and Highways Agency (DSDABM) continues to strengthen flood control infrastructure as an effort to reduce the risk of inundation during the rainy season.

Throughout 2026, a number of projects were carried out, including the construction of pump houses, retention ponds, and new drainage systems in several areas of the city.

Head of the Bandung City DSDABM, Rizki Kusrulyadi, said that the infrastructure development is part of ongoing efforts to control rainwater runoff.

Preparation for the rainy season is not only done when the rain starts to fall, but through work that takes place throughout the year.

"Preparing for the rainy season doesn't mean we're just starting to do it now. During the dry season, since the beginning of the year, our work has been focused on normalizing drainage, building retention ponds, constructing deep recharge wells, biopore wells, and various other efforts," said Rizki at Bandung City Hall on Monday (October 12, 2026).

One of the projects undertaken in 2026 was the construction of two pumping stations in Cipamokolan and Rancabolang. Each location is equipped with two pumps with a capacity of 150 liters per second.

With this capacity, each pump house can pump up to 300 liters per second when both machines operate simultaneously. This facility is expected to help accelerate flood reduction, especially when water volume cannot be optimally channeled through the channels by gravity.

"We built the pump house because the abundant water couldn't be channeled naturally. So, we used a pump to channel the water into drainage channels or rivers, allowing the floodwaters to recede more quickly," he explained.

In addition to the pump house, DSDABM also built 3.9 kilometers of new drainage during 2026. This construction was carried out on Jalan Ibrahim Adjie and the Antapani area to support the smooth flow of water through the urban drainage network.

The Bandung City Government also built two new retention ponds this year, in the Sanggar Hurip and Ciporeat areas. These infrastructures serve to temporarily store rainwater runoff, allowing it to be controlled and preventing it from directly burdening the drainage channels.

Rizki explained that flood management cannot rely solely on infrastructure development. Bandung's basin-like geography, coupled with dense population in several areas, presents unique challenges in managing water flow.

"The most vulnerable areas are dense areas. The city of Bandung is geographically shaped like a bowl, so water from higher areas will flow here. Therefore, how we channel, absorb or retain water runoff is important," he said.

Runoff control efforts are also being implemented through the construction of deep recharge wells. By October 2026, approximately 1,300 deep recharge wells had been constructed in various locations across Bandung City. Biopore wells and tree planting on critical land are also part of efforts to increase water absorption into the soil.

Rizki stated that all these steps need to be supported by public awareness of maintaining clean waterways. He noted that household waste remains a significant problem encountered during drainage and river normalization activities.

"We are all working together to protect the city of Bandung. We urge the public not to throw trash into rivers or drainage channels, to sort their waste properly, and to provide separate trash bins," he said. (Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)