Anticipating Hurricane La Nina, Basuki Kuras 205 Dams With A Total Capacity Of 4.7 Billion Cubic Meters

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, emptied 205 dams with a total capacity of 4.7 billion cubic meters in anticipation of the La Nina storm.

The Minister of PUPR has listened to the BMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency) prediction that the rain pattern in late 2021 and early 2022 will be influenced by La Nina. For this reason, the Ministry of PUPR is taking steps to deal with the 2021 La Nina storm.

"We carry out standard operating procedures for disaster preparedness. First, as many as 205 dams with a capacity of 4.7 billion cubic meters, empty the reservoir by opening all outlets, for example at Bilibili Dam, Batu Tegi Dam, and Jatiluhur Dam", said PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimujono at the online La Nina Anticipation National Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, Friday, October 29.

The Minister of PUPR is also ready to activate the Central Disaster Management Task Force for the first time to monitor all existing infrastructure in Indonesia so that they can find out the volume of floods that can be accommodated.

"We currently have 231 dams plus several new dams and the PUPR Ministry has calculated the flood capacity of the dam", he said.

The Minister of PUPR also said that Indonesia currently has 12 retention ponds with a capacity of 6.8 million cubic meters, a mobile weir with a storage volume of 65.8 million cubic meters, and opens all exit doors, for example in the Nipa-Nipa retention pond in South Sulawesi.

Then there are 12 rubber weirs with a volume of 7.3 million cubic meters by deflating them, for example at the Tirtonadi rubber dam in Solo. Thus, when there is a flood, water can continue to flow into the dam and will be closed at the end of the rainy season to be accommodated for the dry season.

"We have also opened flood control tunnels such as the Nanjung Tunnel of the Citarum River and the Cisangkuy Sodetan to prevent flooding in Baleendah", he said.

In addition, the PUPR Ministry is also preparing to operate 192 flood control pump units with a capacity of 263.4 cubic meters/second, carry out operational tests and prepare fuel, such as the Sringin River Flood Control Pump and the Tenggang River Flood Control Pump.

The Ministry of PUPR is also currently building 39 dams, with the prediction of La Nina, the Ministry of PUPR must also be careful so that construction accidents do not occur in the construction of this dam.

"We put officers upstream of the cofferdam 5-10 km to observe the pattern of water discharge that will enter the river where the dam is being built", said Minister Basuki.

In addition, he continued, the PUPR Ministry took an inventory of flood materials needed at all centers throughout Indonesia such as geobags, and an inventory of existing heavy equipment as well as service providers who were working in each center, including dump trucks, excavators, and inflatable boat.

"To increase cooperation in anticipation and preparedness in the face of La Nina and hydrometeorological disasters, cooperation between ministries and related institutions is very much needed", said the Minister of PUPR.