Jakarta – For two days, high intensity rains hit the city of Semarang, causing a number of areas to be flooded. Several sub-districts have water levels reaching 50 centimeters, such as Muktiharjo Kidul, Tlogosari Kulon and Terboyo Kulon. Suwarto, head of Semarang City’s Department of Public Works (DPU), said his party deployed all the pumps it had to speed up the water extraction process, especially in areas that are essential national access. “The intensity of the rain was therefore quite high yesterday, above 100 millimeters per second. We have deployed all the pumps we have, including four pump trucks and six pump units with a capacity of 250 liters per second,” he said in a written statement on Thursday (23/10/2025). SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT Besides DPU’s pumps, help also came from the River Basin Center (BBWS) which operates four portable pumps with a capacity of 1,000 liters per second, two pumping units with a capacity of 250 liters per second, as well as additional units from BPOM and other agencies. However, according to Suwarto, handling efforts may not be optimal because several pumps are still under construction or repair. “The pump in the Waru area is under construction by the Ministry of PUPR, and from BBWS only one unit is functioning. So it is not yet optimal,” he explained. Suwarto said technical obstacles such as the Semarang-Demak toll road project also affected the flow of water to the sea, thus delaying flood management. “The construction of the toll road makes sea water seem blocked, so the flow cannot go directly to the sea. This will be discussed in a meeting with the Mayor and related stakeholders, including BUMN and BBWS,” he said. He added that BBWS’s old pumps were also damaged because spare parts were no longer available. “Three of the four pump units have been replaced. Now we just have to wait for the electrical installation from PLN. The panels are ready, only the electricity supply and transformer are needed,” he said. If all pumps are functioning normally, the pump house capacity can reach 12,000 liters per second. Currently, however, only a small part is in operation. “Of the six existing large pumping units, only two are on. In Sringin, only two are functioning,” he said. Even so, Suwarto added, DPU is still making maximum efforts by adding portable pumps at various vulnerable points. “A total of ten portable pumps are active, including a pump motor with two units in each vehicle. This helps speed up the retreat of flooding,” Suwarto added. Regarding areas that are still susceptible to flooding, Suwarto said that several points still need to be taken care of, such as Rogosari, Mudiarjo Kidul, Mudiarjo Lor, Bangetayu Kulon and Wetan, Genuk and Trimulyo. “Because the Soms Kebo pump managed by the City Government is still functioning normally and can channel water directly to the East flood channel,” he said. The DPU hopes, continued Suwarto, that after all the new pumps are installed and the electrical system is active, flood management in Semarang will be faster and more efficient. “Hopefully, the electrical installation can be completed within these weeks, so that all pumps can function optimally,” he concluded. Watch the video ‘High rainfall and damaged pumps, Semarang hit by floods’: (akd/ega)
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