Old Building Appears, Karian Dam is Assured to Continue to Meet Community Water Needs

Karian Dam in Lebak Regency, Banten. (Photo: Ministry of PU)

JAKARTA - The reappearance of old buildings in the Karian Dam pond area, Lebak Regency, Banten, as the water surface receded during the dry season is confirmed not to be a sign of a disturbance in the function of the dam.

The Ministry of Public Works (PU) emphasized that this condition is a common phenomenon and does not affect the supply of raw water or irrigation services.

Minister PU Dody Hanggodo said the government continues to optimize the management of dams and water resources infrastructure so that the community's needs are still met throughout the year, especially during the dry season.

"The PU Ministry continues to optimize dam operations and water resources infrastructure so that the needs for raw water, irrigation, and flood control are maintained. With optimal management, we ensure that the water supply for the community remains safe and sustainable," said Dody as quoted from a written statement, Thursday, July 30.

Currently, the Karian Dam is still releasing a water discharge of 24 cubic meters per second as irrigation suplesi from the intake of the Karian Dam to the Gerak Pamarayan Baru Dam to serve the Ciujung Irrigation Area (D.I.).

With this condition, the water needs for agricultural land in the service area can still be met even though the dry season is still ongoing.

Head of the Cidanau Ciujung Cidurian River Basin Office (BBWS C3) of the Water Resources Directorate General Dedi Yudha Lesmana explained that the decrease in the elevation of the dam water surface which caused some of the old land to be visible again was a normal condition in the dry season.

According to him, the water face of the Karian Dam is currently down about 80 centimeters from the normal elevation and is still within the safe operating limits of the reservoir.

"The Karian Dam reservoir is still safe to meet the needs of raw water and irrigation. The water level drop of about 80 centimeters from the normal elevation is a common condition in the dry season and is still within the safe operating limits of the reservoir," he said.

He added that the buildings that were visible again were former settlements in Sukarame Village and Sukajaya Village, Sajira District, Lebak Regency.

The location is located upstream of the dam, about 16 kilometers from the dam, so that some buildings are only flooded when the water level is at a certain elevation.

Dedi said that all land in the Karian Dam flood area had been released in accordance with the provisions during the construction of the dam. However, during the construction phase, only vegetation cleaning was carried out, while not all old buildings were demolished.

Therefore, the remaining buildings will be visible again when the water surface naturally recedes during the dry season.

BBWS C3 ensures that it will continue to monitor hydrological conditions and operate the Karian Dam according to the reservoir operation pattern that has been established.

This step was taken to ensure that the water reservoir is still able to meet the community's raw water needs as well as irrigation supplies until the dry season, which is expected to last until August.

The PU Ministry emphasized that the management of the Karian Dam is part of efforts to maintain national water and food security.

With optimal dam operations, water resources infrastructure is expected to be able to support people's economic activities while increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change.