LUBUK PAKAM — The Deli Serdang Regency Government continues to intensify comprehensive flood mitigation efforts across Sunggal District. The initiative is being driven through multi-agency collaboration involving daily freelance workers (BHL) from the Environmental Services (DLH), alongside village administrations and local community members.
A primary focus of the operation centers on the Bangun Mulia Reservoir in Medan Krio Village. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, the water body previously suffered from severe capacity constraints caused by heavy mud sedimentation and dense water hyacinth infestation. Following three weeks of continuous work, normalization efforts at the reservoir have officially reached 54 percent completion.
During a coordination meeting with regional heads, sub-district officials, and village leaders at the Regent’s Office on Friday (21/8/2026), the Regent of Deli Serdang, Dr. H. Asri Ludin Tambunan, reiterated the local administration’s commitment to expediting physical works on the ground.
“We are targeting a dredging depth of up to 4 meters to significantly increase the reservoir’s water retention capacity,” Regent Asri Ludin stated.
Parallel to the reservoir project, the government is systematically accelerating cross-village drainage clearing and river normalization across all 17 villages in Sunggal District.
Key progress reports revealed that main drainage maintenance has already been successfully completed in two priority zones: a 9.6-kilometer network in Medan Krio Village and a 12.5-kilometer stretch in Helvetia Village. Specifically in Helvetia, workers completed 4,181 meters of ditch normalization along with 1,317 meters of shoulder clearing and grass trimming across eight hamlets.
“I have instructed all teams to concentrate operations in Sunggal until every site is fully resolved. We extend our sincere appreciation to the village leadership and community members for their active participation and community work (gotong royong),” added the Regent.
Meanwhile, Head of the Deli Serdang Environmental Services, Rio Laka Dewa, explained that interventions in the remaining 15 villages—including Puji Mulyo, Payageli, Sei Beras Sekata, Serba Jadi, Suka Maju, Sumber Melati Diski, Telaga Sari, Sei Mencirim, Sei Semayang, Tanjung Gusta, Mulyorejo, Sei Rotan, Babura, Tanjung Selamat, and Purwodadi—are proceeding in planned phases based on field vulnerability assessments.
“The primary operational challenges remain thick mud accumulation and soil deposits. We are overcoming these through a strategic mix of manual labor by BHL crews, heavy machinery deployment, and routine material evacuation,” Rio explained.
The strategic meeting was also attended by the Assistant for Economy and Development, the Head of the SDABMK Services, the Head of BPBD, representatives from the Perkimtan and Cipta Karya agencies, as well as village heads from across Sunggal District.
Sunggal District serves as a critical buffer zone directly bordering Medan City. Over the past decade, rapid residential development and commercial expansion have transformed agricultural land into urban sprawl, significantly increasing surface runoff. The accumulation of mud and invasive flora like water hyacinth in natural catchments like Bangun Mulia Reservoir has historically worsened seasonal urban flooding during the peak monsoon months in North Sumatra.
Experts emphasize that local dredging initiatives must be paired with broader watershed management strategies across the Belawan-Ular-Ansa river basins. By restoring the 10,000-square-meter capacity of Bangun Mulia Reservoir to a 4-meter depth, local authorities aim to establish a functional retention basin that buffers overflowing runoff before it inundates low-lying residential clusters along the Deli Serdang–Medan border.