Jakarta's Water Stories

5th Century AD

The origin of the Delta

In the journey of tracing the origins of Jakarta, one cannot be separated from how nature is interconnected and engages in gentle dialogue. The forces of wind and river played a role in shaping space; through layers of sediment that intertwined, they welcomed life. River deposits that accumulated formed natural levees and hills, while the interplay of accretion and abrasion created the contours of a delta’s boundaries. This cycle kept repeating—at times they died, only to come alive again. To sustain life, Purnawarman, the 5th-century king of Tarumanegara, carried out river excavations to secure food supplies and provide additional water catchment areas in response to the abundant flows.

1610

A Distant Guest Wishing to Settle

After centuries had passed, the Delta grew ever more prosperous as it became a center of global trade routes, drawing more and more people to dwell there. Among them was a Western trading company, known as the VOC, which stopped by as a guest. Soon after, it invited its close kin from the Netherlands. Yet, they carried a hidden plan—for they too desired to claim power.

1620

Straightening What Is Crooked, Yet in Pain

Though it grew ever more crowded, becoming a hub where people gathered and traded, nature never ceased its dialogue, echoing without end. The guest who once only stayed the night now built a dwelling to settle. The river, once meandering, was now straightened, forming canals and new networks to boost the economy and provide safety from the floods that struck.

1631

Molenvliet, an Intervention from the east

During the period of territorial expansion, a new canal in the southern part called Molenvliet was built by the Chinese captain Phoa Beng Gan, intended for transportation and the economic development of the area. At its peak, Molenvliet thrived and became a pleasant public space.

1714

When the Peak Was Stripped

For the sake of industrial expansion, nature’s breath was sacrificed. The slopes of Puncak Bogor were stripped bare, until the land released water without pause. Floods spread everywhere, carrying stories of sorrow from the mountain to the estuary

1808

From Canals to Land

As a result of disease outbreaks, the government center was moved from Batavia, the old settlement, farther inland to the Weltevreden area. Small canals used for transport and irrigation were filled in to reduce sources of disease, transforming the city from a canal-based settlement to one oriented around land-based transportation.

1893

The Continuing Floods

1893 marked the first major flood to hit Batavia in the 19th century. Flooding continued repeatedly in 1895, 1899, 1904, and 1909. Cholera outbreaks also emerged, claiming many lives. The government at the time began reconsidering future actions, which led to the proposal of the Western Flood Canal initiative by Hendrik Van Breen.

1909

The Longtime Residents Growing More Oppressed

Flooding from the overflowing Ciliwung and Krukut rivers inundated the Waterlooplein area, now known as Lapangan Banteng, turning it into a lake-like expanse. The water didn’t stop there, spreading to surrounding Bumiputra settlements—Kampung Kepu, Nyonya Wetan, Bendungan, and Kemayoran—leaving them heavily affected. Unfortunately, these Bumiputra neighborhoods received little special attention.

1918

The Idea of the Western Flood Canal

The tales of the river’s overflow led Van Breen to conceive real solutions, as the rivers in the western part were manipulated and engineered. The construction of the western flood canal stretched from Manggarai westward through Karet, then turned toward the sea, ending at Muara Angke in North Jakarta.

1919

When the Water Raged

Something broke in Grogol! Flooding nearly the entire city, it became the greatest disaster compared to previous years. The swift current caused Weltevreden to be submerged. The sluice gates were opened from two directions—Batavia in the north and Weltevreden in the south—sending the torrent rushing toward Kali Lio. Unable to contain it, the water spilled over into the surrounding Bumiputra areas, and the villages once again became victims. The areas around Molenvliet, which had once been scattered, grew even wetter due to the construction of the Harmony Bridge, which narrowed the flow of the river.

1932

A Flow That Spreads Further

The solution of straightening the western water channels had not proven optimal, leading to increasingly prolonged problems. The flooding spread even more when the Citarum and Kedawung dams also broke.

1949

Two Blueprint Sketches Take Shape

Hope was outlined in the form of a master plan for flood management from 1919 to 1949, drafted by Van Breen and later supplemented with Blommestein’s ideas in 1949. Line by line, the plans reinforced a technocratic vision for the future. These two major planning documents proposed extensive flood control projects: the construction of the eastern canal, pumping systems, additional sluice gates, retention reservoirs, polders, and a seawall along Jakarta Bay.

1956

Voices of Hope from Home

Local voices began to surface. People helped one another, working together to spark the first glimmers of hope toward finding a way home. At the time, the government had no funds and was preoccupied with the affairs of a still-new administration. To adapt to the situation, local residents took flood control into their own hands, acting independently.

1960

Finding The Way Home

From the two old blueprints that had been laid out, the city’s direction was set. Two major projects were launched: upstream projects focused on river normalization and the construction of reservoirs, while downstream projects involved dredging and arranging green river corridors. Some of these projects forced the displacement of livelihoods, and the search for a true way home increasingly became neglected.

2024

Toward Homecoming

Let us reflect more deeply on today’s conditions—how stakeholders perceive the issue of flooding today. Grand plans for flood control have indeed been laid out, but are they truly in line with the existing context? Let us think again, revisiting the inherent character of the delta: should we truly seek to control it all, or shall we begin to make peace with it?

EPILOGUE: Towards Home, Though Times Differ

This journey is about the memory of the delta that became Jakarta. Its story is not yet over. ‘The Way Home’ is not about returning to the past, but about finding new ways to live in harmony with water in the future. The next chapter lies in our hands

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