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The existence of densely populated settlements located several meters below the surface of Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Klender Subdistrict, East Jakarta, is considered a clear portrait of the failure of Jakarta’s spatial planning in providing decent housing for low-income communities.
Urban observer from Universitas Indonesia, Muh Aziz Muslim, views dense settlements such as those in Klender not merely as technical environmental issues, but as evidence of inadequate urban planning that neglects the needs of vulnerable groups.
“If we look at the existing situation, settlements located below road level clearly face various risks. The risks involved, especially those related to residents’ quality of life, become the main stake,” Aziz said when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday (5/1/2026).
According to him, in general this condition reflects the failure of Jakarta’s spatial planning, which from the outset did not take into account the limited access and capacity of low-income communities.
“Generally speaking, this condition can be described as a form of spatial planning that is inadequate and does not consider the needs of low-income communities in Jakarta,” Aziz stated.
The presence of densely populated neighborhoods in strategic urban areas illustrates interconnected, multidimensional challenges, ranging from limited space and poor infrastructure to social, economic, and cultural issues within the community.
“All of these problems ultimately converge on the aspect of the quality of life of the people who inhabit these settlement areas,” he said.
Environmental Risks and Long-Term Threats
Dense settlements located below road level carry layered risks.
In addition to being prone to fires due to building density, their lower position makes these areas highly vulnerable to waterlogging and flooding.
“When settlements are located below road level, the potential for flooding is quite high, compounded by limited access to sanitation and other basic services. This condition certainly disrupts and affects the quality of life of the community,” Aziz explained.
He emphasized that these threats have both short-term and long-term dimensions. In the short term, health aspects are the most affected.
“When we talk about health, the threats faced include poor air quality, limited access to public facilities, the potential for flooding, landslides, and erosion, which are frequently experienced by residents,” Aziz said.
In the long term, inadequate housing conditions will shape how communities perceive education, health, and overall quality of life.
According to Aziz, the main factor that causes residents to continue living in the area is limited access and socio-economic capacity.
“If we rely on residents’ choices, in reality they do not have many options. Like it or not, they are forced to live in areas like that,” he said.
Therefore, he believes government intervention is absolutely necessary. Such intervention cannot be carried out partially or sectorally, but must be implemented through an integrated approach that involves community participation.
“The initial step can be carried out through data collection of residents living in the area, including land ownership status. Once land status is identified, the next step is to introduce government programs to improve settlement conditions,” Aziz explained.
One approach that could be applied, according to him, is the kampung upgrading program that was previously implemented by the Jakarta Provincial Government.
“The kampung upgrading program is expected to serve as a foundation for restructuring slum settlements that are still quite prevalent in Jakarta,” he said.
Learning from Past Programs
Aziz also mentioned the Kampung Improvement Program that was implemented in the past and was considered successful in improving settlement environmental quality without displacing residents.
“In the past, there were programs such as the Kampung Improvement Program that are expected to be re-adopted as initiatives for organizing dense and slum neighborhoods in Jakarta,” he said.
According to Aziz, this approach is relevant because it does not only address physical aspects, but also the social and economic dimensions of the community.
“This restructuring process must, of course, involve community participation. Not only the government, but also partnerships with various parties, including the private sector through CSR programs,” he explained.
He emphasized that the key to settlement restructuring lies in policy integration.
“The key word is integration, because so far programs have often been sectoral and fragmented, thus failing to address the root of the problem comprehensively,” Aziz said.
Four Decades Living Beneath the Road
In RW 01 Klender, settlements beneath Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai have been inhabited by residents since around the 1980s.
The Head of RW 01, Rahmat Satriono (60), said residents utilized the space beneath the road, which from the beginning was already lower than the main road surface.
“The road has indeed been high from the start, not because it was raised later. There are many main drainage channels from the intersection here. Beneath them, the space was then used by residents for buildings,” Rahmat said when met at the RW 01 Secretariat.
According to him, the main drainage channels are no longer functioning optimally. Water still flows, but sanitation has effectively ceased to function.
“The drains themselves are no longer functioning optimally. Water still flows, but sanitation is essentially dead,” Rahmat said.
Unmapped Sanitation
Rahmat acknowledged that most houses in the area do not have wastewater treatment systems.
Domestic waste is discharged directly into open channels and flows into the Sunter River.
“On average, houses do not have SPALD. Waste goes directly into the channels, then to the river. The houses are small, compartmentalized, only about 4×4 or 4×5 meters, so it’s not possible to build septic tanks,” he said.
Around 50 percent of houses in the lowest area do not even have proper sanitation facilities.
“There are toilets and bathrooms, but the waste goes straight into the drain,” Rahmat said.
Why Residents Stay
Despite the highly limited environmental conditions, residents remain because of the area’s very strategic location.
The settlement is located directly alongside a major East Jakarta roadway, adjacent to SMP Negeri 198 East Jakarta, and directly next to the flow of the Sunter River.
Residents only need to descend narrow stairs to reach their homes. Access to the residential area is available only through four narrow alleys, each less than one meter wide.
Kompas.com observations show that these alleys are filled with open water channels, makeshift wooden planks, and tightly packed buildings with minimal light and air circulation.
Domestic activities take place in narrow corridors, mixed with damp odors from water channels. Tuti (45), a resident of RT 07, has lived in the area for more than 25 years. Her house is located directly below road level.
“If you want to get to the main road, you have to climb these stairs. We’re used to it, it’s been like this for a long time,” she said.
During heavy rain, water often enters her house up to ankle height.
“When it rains heavily, water often comes in. But it usually recedes quickly,” Tuti said.
She admitted that her house does not have a septic tank because there is no space. Nevertheless, she is willing to be relocated as long as the replacement housing is not far from the current location.
“If there’s an apartment nearby, I’m willing. As long as it’s not too far away,” she said. A similar sentiment was expressed by Rono (38), a resident of RT 06 who works as an online motorcycle taxi driver.
“If the place is clear and still around here, I’m willing to move. The important thing is that our lives don’t become harder,” Rono said.
For residents of RW 01 Klender, their hopes are simple: more decent housing, healthier living conditions, and not far from where they currently live.
“If possible, build vertical housing. The important thing is that the location is clear first,” Rahmat said.
He hopes the government will be present not only with plans, but with concrete actions.
“The main problem here is not just the low position of the settlement, but patterns of living and sanitation that are not mapped. This environment needs total restructuring,” he concluded.
