Jokowi Will Officialize The Semantok Nganjuk Dam Tomorrow, 300 Police Are Deployed For Security

Semantok Dam in Nganjuk Regency, East Java. (Doc Brantas Abipraya)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo will inaugurate the operation of the Semantok Dam in Nganjuk Regency, East Java. The infrastructure was built by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

Head of Protocol and Communications Section of Nganjuk Regency, Asti Widyartini, said that President Jokowi is scheduled to inaugurate the operation of the Semantok Dam on Tuesday, December 20.

"From the information we received, the President will board a plane down at Iswahjudi Magetan Airport, then to Nganjuk," he said in Nganjuk, confiscated by Antara, Monday, December 19.

He said the head of state would arrive at the Semantok Dam at around 15.00 WIB. President Jokowi first followed the planting of trees and then reviewed the location of the inauguration.

"The president will also ride a bamboo bicycle to the location of the dam for inauguration," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Public Relations Sub-Division of the Nganjuk Police, Iptu Supriyanto, said that he had prepared his members to secure President Jokowi's arrival in Nganjuk.

Supriyanto said as many as 300 Ngajuk Police personnel would be deployed. He added that this number was still added by security from the ranks of the Kodim 0810/Nganjuk.

"We are in ring three, later for security from Kodim 0810/Nganjuk. Security is carried out on all routes that are expected to be passed by the President's entourage," he said.

The Semantok Dam built by PUPR is one of the National Strategic Programs, as an effort by the government to strengthen water and food security in Nganjuk Regency.

PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono explained that dam construction will continue with irrigation infrastructure in order to support sustainable agricultural production.

The construction of the Semantok Dam was carried out by the River Brantas River Basin Center (BBWS), Directorate General of Water Resources, Ministry of PUPR through two work packages.

The two PUPR work packages are package one by the implementing contractor PT. Brantas Abipraya, PT Pelita Nusa Perkasa, KSO; and package two in collaboration with PT Hutama Karya, PT Bahagia Bangunnusa, KSO with a value of Rp1.17 trillion.

The dam is located in Kedungpingit Hamlet, Sambikerep Village, Rejoso Nganjuk District, and is designed to have a capacity of 32.67 million m3 sourced from the Semantok River.

The dam is equipped with an irrigation network that can function as a water channel during the dry season to prevent drought in a rice field area of 1,900 hectares (ha). That way, the presence of dams will increase agricultural production in the area.

The inundation area of this dam is 365 hectares. This dam is also to reduce the risk of flooding by 137 m3/second in the downstream area which is flowed by the Semantok River during the rainy season. The Semantok River is about 18.19 kilometers long and the water catchment area is about 54,032 square kilometers, has an average volume of 64.77 m3/year inflows.

In addition, the Semantok Dam, Nganjuk can also function as an effort to maintain a river in the downstream area of the dam of 30 liters per second and a raw water provider of 312 liters per second for Rejoso District.

This dam also has the potential as a tourism destination in East Java that can grow the local economy.

The Semantok Dam began construction in December 2017 with an upright core zone type which has a height of 38.5 meters and a peak length of 3,100 meters.

With the completion of the construction of the Semantok Dam, Nganjuk, it will add to the list of dams in East Java, including the Tukul Dam in Pacitan Regency, Tugu Dam in Trenggalek Regency, Bendo Dam in Ponorogo Regency, and Gongseng Dam in Bojonegoro Regency.