Ministry Of PUPR Completes 36 Dams Throughout 2015-2022

Illustration of the dam (Photo: dock. kpupr)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) said that as many as 36 dams had been completed in various parts of Indonesia, during the 2015-2022 period.

This amount is part of the completion of the construction target of 61 dams in 2025, for food security and national water security.

The multifunctional dam built aims to be a source of irrigation water, raw water, potential as a power plant, flood control, water conservation, and tourism.

The Director General of Water Resources of the Ministry of PUPR, Adenan Rasyid, said that as part of the target for completion of 61 dams, in 2022 seven dams have been completed and inaugurated, namely the Semantok Dam (East Java), Ciawi (West Java), Sukamahi (West Java), Aware of Color (West Java), Beringin Sila (NTB), Kuwil Kawangkoan (Sulut) and Tamblang (Bali).

"So, the total construction of the dam from 2015 to 2022 has been completed by 36 dams. Furthermore, in the 2023-2025 period, 25 dams will be completed," said Adenan in a written statement, Wednesday, May 24.

Adenan said that the completion of the 36 dams could later irrigate 245,103 Ha or four times the area of Jakarta which has the potential to increase rice production to two million tons per year and provide additional raw water of 17.19 m3 per second which can meet the needs of 10 million people.

He said, to support increasing agricultural productivity of food crops, the government needs to implement two main strategies, namely increasing rice conversion to rice and increasing the planting index.

"With the completion of 61 dams by 2024, it will increase the planting index from 143 percent to 200 percent. The irrigation water service will increase from 231 existing dams of 10.6 percent (761 thousand Ha) in 2015 to 19.3 percent (1.4 million Ha irrigation fields) in 2024", said Adenan.

In addition to water and food security, Adenan added, of the 187 dams built up to 2015, 23 of them were used as Hydroelectric Power Plants (PLTA) with a total capacity of 507,264 MW (Mega Watt).

The dams include the Batutegi Dam (28 MW), Jatiluhur (150 MW), and Bili-Bili (20.1 MW).

"Meanwhile, for the 61 dams built from 2015 to 2024, there are 43 dams that have the potential for electric power with a total capacity of 258.16 MW, including the Way Sekampung Dam (5.40 MW), Jatigede (110 MW), and Leuwikeris (20 MW)," concluded Adenan.