JAKARTA - The hope of farmers in Bali to obtain more certain water supply is now becoming more real.
The presence of the Sidan Dam makes almost 10,000 hectares of rice fields on the Island of the Gods no longer entirely dependent on rainfall.
So that agricultural productivity is expected to increase while strengthening food security.
The dam, which was inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto on Friday, July 10, is now the main buffer for the availability of irrigation water for agricultural land in Bali.
In fact, the water infrastructure will support irrigation of 9,598 hectares of existing irrigation areas (DI), consisting of 5,963 hectares of Mambal DI and 3,635 hectares of Kedewatan DI.
Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo said that dams are basic infrastructure that play an important role in maintaining the sustainability of food production.
However, the benefits of the new dam are really felt when water can flow to agricultural land and be used by the community.
"Food self-sufficiency, energy self-sufficiency and water self-sufficiency require orderly, sustainable and truly water governance to the people. Dams are upstream of that service," said Dody, quoted from a written statement, Wednesday, July 15.
With a more stable water supply, farmers have certainty in designing planting patterns. The availability of water throughout the year is also expected to increase the frequency of planting while reducing the risk of crop failure due to drought.
The Ministry of PU projects that the Sidan Dam can increase the Cultivation Index (IP) from 265 percent to 271 percent.
The increase opens up opportunities for farmers to increase planting intensity and increase agricultural production.
The existence of the Sidan Dam is also considered to strengthen the irrigation system in Bali which has been the backbone of the agricultural sector as well as maintaining the sustainability of the subak system, a world cultural heritage that depends on water management.
With a capacity of 5.76 million cubic meters and a flooded area of 39.37 hectares, the dam serves as a water storage place during the rainy season which can then be reused during the dry season.
This pattern makes the water supply for agriculture more secure even though rainfall decreases.
Administratively, the Sidan Dam is in the Ayung River Basin (DAS).
The location of the dam and its puddles includes Sidan Village in Badung Regency, Buahan Kaja Village in Gianyar Regency as well as Bunutin, Mengani and Langgahan Villages in Bangli Regency.
The construction of the Sidan Dam began in October 2018 and was completed in 2024.
The project was carried out by the Consortium of PT Brantas Abipraya (Persero) and PT Universal Suryaprima on Package I with a contract value of around IDR 808 billion and PT Brantas Abipraya (Persero) on Package II (continuation) with a contract value of around IDR 790 billion.
In addition to supporting the agricultural sector, the Sidan Dam also has multifunctional benefits.
The dam is capable of providing raw water of 1,750 liters per second to meet the needs of the people in Denpasar City as well as Badung and Gianyar Regencies, including maintaining water resilience for the growing Bali tourism area.
Not only that, the asphalt core zonal dam with a height of 68 meters is also projected to be able to reduce the potential for flooding in an area of 108 hectares.
Sidan Dam also has the potential to generate renewable energy through a 0.65 megawatt (MW) Micro Hydro Power Plant (PLTMH) and a 7.43 MW floating Solar Power Plant (PLTS) and has the potential to be developed as a new tourist destination.
In the future, the PU Ministry will continue to optimize the management of the Sidan Dam and its irrigation network so that the benefits can be felt by the community.
With more reliable water supply, agricultural productivity is expected to increase, farmers' welfare will be better and efforts to realize national food self-sufficiency can run sustainably.
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