The Ministry Of Public Works' Budget For Large Infrastructure Projects Detained, The Fate Of Giant Sea Wall Threatened?

Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo. (Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - Part of the budget of the Ministry of Public Works (PU) for major infrastructure development in 2025 has been detained by the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani Indrawati. This was done in accordance with the direction of President Prabowo Subianto.

So, what will happen to the giant sea embankment mega project aka Giant Sea Wall in the future?

PU Minister Dody Hanggodo said that this budget detention step was intended to refocus the PU Ministry's project plan to focus on several strategic Prabowo programs.

In this case, later the Ministry of Public Works will focus the existing budget for infrastructure development related to food, energy and water security.

"(The focus of future development is related to food, water and energy infrastructure," said Dody at the PU Ministry office, Jakarta, quoted Tuesday, November 19.

Dody said that one of the water infrastructure projects that the government will continue to continue at this time is the giant sea embankment or Giant Sea Wall. Thus, this project will continue even though part of the government's infrastructure development budget is being held by Prabowo.

"Giant Sea Wall, of course (continued by the government). But, Giant Sea Wall is, right, especially for Jakarta. Indeed, the big program is the North Coast of Java. But, with the exact budget limit, right, we cut it into pieces. Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, that's it," he said.

However, said Dody, the government will not immediately build Giant Sea Wall. Because, according to him, this giant embankment is the 'final product' of the mega project plan.

So that for now, the Ministry of Public Works will first work on supporting infrastructure projects such as coastal embankments to irrigation canals.

"The big budget, really, we already exist. But, it was a joint project between the ministry and Giant Sea Wall, the final product. The initial product, right, now the embankment (shore), now Mrs. Wamen (Diana Kusumastuti) has worked on sanitation and then poured raw water from several related reservoirs," he said.

On the same occasion, the Director General of Water Resources (Dirjen SDA) of the Ministry of Public Works Bob Arthur Lombgia said that his party would build the 11-kilometer Giant Sea Wall support embankment (km) in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works has received a budget allocation of IDR 1.3 trillion for the construction of the Giant Sea Wall supporting infrastructure for the next five years.

"(The Ministry of Public Works budget) is IDR 1.3 trillion in five years. We are doing approximately 11 kilometers," he concluded.