Around 38 illegal buildings along the Krukut River in Karet Tengsin Urban Village, Tanah Abang, were demolished by joint personnel from the Central Jakarta City Administration on Wednesday (4/22).

According to Central Jakarta Assistant for Economy and Development, Suprayogie, the demolition is part of the first phase of a normalization and riverbank improvement project along an 800-meter stretch of the Krukut River.

"The demolition involved 320 joint personnel from Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), Water Resources (SDA), Public Works, PPSU, and Environmental Sub-agencies, as well as Satlinmas and FKDM," he informed.

He added that clearing illegal buildings along the riverbanks is a priority due to safety concerns.

"The soil conditions along Krukut Riverbanks are not strong enough to support buildings, making them prone to landslides," he stressed.

Suprayogie said residents occupying the illegal buildings who hold Jakarta ID cards will be facilitated to relocate to public housings, in coordination with the Housing Agency.

He explained that the riverbank arrangement project is divided into three segments, targeting a total of 241 illegal buildings.

"We aim to complete the arrangement of segments one to three by the end of this year," he said.

He added that authorities will closely monitor the area after the demolition to prevent new illegal structures from emerging along the riverbanks

"Once the arrangement is complete, the Jakarta Water Resources Agency will repair the embankment walls along the river," he said.

Meanwhile, Dwiarti Indriani Utami said residents without Jakarta ID cards will be sent back to their home regions.

"Residents with Jakarta ID cards will be relocated to public housings," she asserted.