Sentani, Jubi – The road conditions in Sentani City, Sentani District, Jayapura Regency, particularly at the junction leading to the Pasar Baru entrance beside the Metta Star Sentani Hotel, become a source of worry whenever it rains. The issue at hand is that water quickly inundates the road, leading to extensive traffic jams.
Upon Jubi’s observation in the field, it was evident that traffic from both directions on the road moved at a sluggish pace. The queue of vehicles from Kemiri toward Sentani City extended as far as the SMP N 2 Sentani road. Meanwhile, the line of vehicles from Sentani toward the Pasar Baru junction reached the front of the 751 Raiders road.
“Despite the rain falling only around 4:30 p.m. Papua time, the drainage water overflowed onto the highway, reaching the height of an adult calf,” Yanto, a resident of BTN Social Sentani reported on Monday, October 2, 2023.
These incidents appear to be recurring. Even though the drainage is regularly cleaned, the water pressure from higher elevations remains formidable, and the water volume is substantial.
“This water originates from BTN Social and also the Taruna housing located at the base of Mount Cyclops,” he explained.
Rishayudin, a kiosk owner at the Social Street junction, shared that his kiosk is frequently inundated with water overflowing from the drainage.
“Despite our efforts to install barriers at the front, water still manages to penetrate the kiosk,” he said.
Meanwhile, Xaverius Manangsang, the head of the Environment Division at the Jayapura Environment Office, pointed out that the drainage outlet directly onto the road was problematic. According to him, the road-side drainage should have an outlet leading to a larger river.
“The drainage is essentially flat, lacking an outlet route. Consequently, water flowing from higher altitudes to the road-side drainage becomes trapped like a holding pond. When it fills up, it spills onto the road,” he explained.
Manangsang also noted that his team routinely clears debris from the drainage, reducing the amount of water overflowing onto the road. “When the drainage is clean, there is significantly less water spilling onto the road, unlike a few days ago when the drainage was clogged, leading to extensive flooding on the road,” he added. (*)
