MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - Residents of Sempakata Sub-district, Medan Selayang District, Medan City, have visited the Chairman of the Medan City Council, Wong Chun Sen Tarigan, to voice their concerns over flooding problems that have persisted for more than a decade. Residents living around the Sempakata Lurah (sub-district head) office hope the government will immediately find a permanent solution to the issue, which has repeatedly disrupted their daily activities.
The residents' representative, Poltak Simanjuntak, stated that recurring floods every time heavy rain falls have caused significant losses for the community. He assessed that the problem is not solely caused by high rainfall intensity, but also by an imbalance between the volume of water flowing from higher areas and the capacity of the existing drainage channels.
"The upstream catchment area is very large, while the existing drainage channels can no longer accommodate the volume of water. If the water flow from the upper area could be redirected toward the Pemda residential area through the construction of a new channel, the flooding could be better controlled," Poltak said.
According to him, the current drainage channels are no longer capable of handling the large amount of water during heavy rainfall. Therefore, residents are urging the authorities to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the drainage system in the area so that the flooding issue is not merely addressed temporarily.
Residents Propose Drainage Channel Rehabilitation
Another resident representative, Marpaung, explained that the community, together with the Sempakata sub-district administration, had already analyzed the causes of the flooding and prepared several possible solutions that could be implemented by the government.
"One of the immediate measures that we believe can reduce the duration of flooding is the normalization of the existing drainage channels," he said.
He explained that the rehabilitation and cleaning of existing drainage channels are short-term measures that can be implemented to improve water flow and shorten the duration of flooding. In addition, residents hope that additional infrastructure will be developed to handle the water volume coming from higher areas.
The community believes that solving the flooding problem requires close cooperation between the regional government and residents. Through effective coordination, a solution can be achieved that not only addresses temporary flooding but also prevents recurring floods in the future.
CITY COUNCIL URGES RELEVANT AGENCIES TO IMMEDIATELY PREVENT FLOODING: Chairman of the Medan City Council Wong Chun Sen Tarigan urges relevant authorities to immediately take concrete measures to address flooding problems in Sempakata Sub-district. (PHOTO: Doc. DPRD Kota Medan)
Medan City Council Chairman Calls for Immediate Action
Responding to the residents' complaints, Chairman of the Medan City Council Wong Chun Sen Tarigan, accompanied by his expert staff member Sutrisno Pangaribuan and Head of the Council Meeting Division Andres Willy Simanjuntak, immediately coordinated with the Medan Selayang District Head and the Head of the Medan City Public Works Office.
Wong Chun Sen urged both agencies to pay special attention to the flooding problem in Sempakata and take concrete steps to resolve the situation.
"Make sure this problem can be resolved," Wong Chun Sen emphasized.
The quick response from the Chairman of the Medan City Council was welcomed by the residents' representatives present at the meeting. They viewed the move as a sign that the complaints of residents who have long faced the impacts of recurring floods are being taken seriously.
The meeting was attended by Poltak Simanjuntak, P. Marpaung, Ramot Manutur Situmorang, Rafael Marpaung, Nasri Ginting, N. Sinurat, and Amanda Siregar.
Residents hope that the Medan City Council will continue to support their concerns and encourage the city administration to implement a comprehensive solution to the flooding problem in Sempakata.
"We hope our visit to the City Council was not in vain. We greatly appreciate the chairman's quick response," a residents' representative said.
The community expects coordination between the Medan City Council and relevant authorities to produce concrete results so that the flooding problem that has burdened Sempakata residents for many years can be fully resolved. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Ahmad Zulfikar | EDITOR: Fik Sagala