Jakarta to start rebuilding Kampung Akuarium in September

Governor Anies Baswedan is scheduled to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction project at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, tempo.co reported.

Kampung Akuarium is among 21 areas prioritized for revitalization in Jakarta, as stated in Gubernatorial Regulation No. 878/2018 on the kampung and residential area restoration task force.

“Revitalizing Kampung Akuarium is [part of the city administration’s efforts] in fulfilling citizens’ fundamental rights for adequate housing.

“Enhancing the quality of settlements [in the city] is the Jakarta administration’s priority program in providing [citizens] with adequate and safe residential areas,” acting Jakarta Housing and Settlement Agency head Sarjoko said in a video posted on the administration’s official Instagram account, @dkijakarta, on Saturday.

According to Sarjoko, the revitalization project for Kampung Akuarium is a collaborative effort of the city administration, the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK) and the RUJAK Centre for Urban Studies, a think tank that assists communities in developing sustainable cities and regions.

“The collaboration is aimed at formulating the residents’ needs to achieve a proper revitalization [of the kampung],” he said.

In 2018, Anies promised to rebuild Kampung Akuarium, arguing that the area had become disorganized and squalid after a 2016 eviction of residents by former governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahja Purnama.

Previously, Kampung Akuarium was set to be included among the capital’s marine tourism destinations. The plan included turning half of the kampung’s 10,000 square meters into green and open space, while the other half was for public housing and settlements with public facilities.