River Embankments Rebuilt: Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

The stone embankments along the rivers in Yogyakarta are being reinforced. These were damaged in the May 27 earthquake and have been fortified in preparation for the next rainy season.

If the embankments are not rebuilt it will obviously be very dangerous during the next rainy season, and not only that, if Gunung Merapi erupted again then there would be nothing to stop lava from reaching residential areas in Yogyakarta. Many of the embankments had been damaged or have cracks in them and these embankments hold back the Winongo, Gajah Wong and Code rivers.

According to a local government spokesman the embankments would be rebuilt before the start of the rainy season which generally lasts from September to March. He said budgetary funds for projects that were not urgent, like building sidewalks and putting in pedestrian crosswalks had been used to speed up work on the embankments.

The most crucial embankment is on Code River because it passes through densely populated areas. Along this river is one of my favourite kampongs in Yogyakarta - the Kali Code kampong.
Located along the Code River in Yogyakarta, the area was transformed in 1983 from a dump site into a settlement through the work of populist Indonesian architect and Catholic priest, the late Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya, who died in 1999.

In Yogyakarta you can enter the Kali Code kampong from an alley off Jalan Sudirman. It was once one of the slumiest parts of the city. Even though it is still poor, it has charm and the people who live there, friendly and accept the life they have been given.