Palembang, The Indonesia Post – South Sumatra Governor H. Herman Deru (HD), accompanied by Deputy Governor H. Cik Ujang, led a coordination meeting on flood management in Palembang on Monday (May 4, 2026). The meeting involved representatives from the central government, the provincial government, and the Palembang City Government.
In his directive, Governor HD emphasized that flood management cannot be done in a piecemeal manner. He urged all parties to be open and work together without sectoral egos.
“Palembang is the face of South Sumatra. What happens here reflects our collective efforts, so handling it must be serious, swift, and coordinated,” he stressed.
To that end, the Governor has instructed several concrete steps, including the formation of a Flood Task Force (Satgas) through a gubernatorial decree involving the Central Office and the Palembang City Government, to expedite coordination and reduce bureaucracy.
“In addition, monitoring of water conditions in flood-prone areas will be strengthened through a CCTV system to ensure faster and more accurate response. We will optimize the function of water pumps and carry out gradual repairs to 21 box culverts and culverts affected by the LRT pylon construction,” HD emphasized.
The Governor also emphasized the importance of monitoring land clearing and regulating buildings that do not comply with regulations.
“The authority to handle flood-prone areas must be clearly mapped out, whether it is the responsibility of the city, provincial, or central government, so that there are no further delays in handling the situation on the ground,” HD concluded.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ratu Dewa explained that he had carried out short-term handling, such as river revitalization, drainage channel repair, construction of flood control pumps, and installation of CCTV in the drainage system.
“There are a number of flooding points within the jurisdiction of the provincial and central governments, requiring cross-sector coordination. Furthermore, providing green open space remains a challenge in supporting water catchment systems,” he said.
Also in attendance were Palembang Deputy Mayor Prima Salam and heads of regional government agencies. (mhn/ril)
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