The Jakarta Flood Canal (Indonesian: Kanal Banjir Jakarta) refers to two canals that divert floods from rivers around Jakarta instead of going through the city. This first flood control channel was designed by Hendrik van Breen, an engineer working for the Dutch East Indian Department van Burgelijke Openbare Werken (BOW—lit. Department of Public Civil Works, currently the Ministry of Public Works), after a big flood hit the city on 13 February 1918.[1]