The City Council banged the gavel on Monday, approving the much-anticipated city budget for 2013 after a month’s delay. With the approval, the Jakarta administration is expected to be able to expedite its flood-mitigation work.

The council approved a 20.84 percent increase to Rp 49.97 trillion (US$5.16 billion) this year from

Rp 41.35 trillion in 2012. The approved budget is higher than the Rp 46.86 trillion initially proposed by the administration.