There Are 9 More Dams Waiting For Jokowi's Inauguration

President at the inauguration of the Paselloreng Dam and Gilireng Dam (Photo via Twitter Setkab)

JAKARTA - Indonesia will have 17 new dams this year. Eight have been inaugurated and President Jokowi will wait for the rest until the end of the year to be inaugurated.

Jokowi has given the PUPR Ministry a target to complete all development plans by the end of the year. Dams in various regions in the country are to strengthen national food security.

"This year, 17 dams will and have been completed by December. We hope that with the existing dams, dams, dams, once again, we will be able to strengthen and improve our food security," said the president when giving a speech at the inauguration of the Paselloreng Dam. and Gilireng Weir, in Wajo Regency, South Sulawesi, Thursday, September 9.

The Paselloreng Dam is the 8th dam that has been completed by the government and inaugurated by President Jokowi. Paselloreng Dam has a very large capacity of 138 million cubic meters and is capable of irrigating 8,500 hectares of rice fields.

Last February 14, Jokowi inaugurated the Tukul Dam in Pacitan Regency, East Java (East Java). The first dam infrastructure, which was inaugurated by the President in 2021, has a capacity of 8.68 million cubic meters and can irrigate 600 hectares of agricultural land.

Four days later, the president inaugurated the Tapin Dam, located in Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan. This infrastructure has a capacity of 56.77 million cubic meters and is able to provide irrigation for 5,472 hectares of land.

Still in the same month, on February 23, 2021, the Head of State inaugurated the Napun Gete Dam, in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The dam, which is located in Sikka Regency, has a capacity of 11.22 million cubic meters and is capable of supplying irrigation for 300 hectares of surrounding rice fields.

Then in March 2021, President Jokowi inaugurated the Sindangheula Dam located in Serang Regency, Banten. The dam, which was inaugurated on March 4, has a capacity of 9.30 million cubic meters and is targeted to provide irrigation benefits to 1,289 hectares of rice fields in Banten.

Furthermore, at the end of the month of Indonesian independence, on August 31, the Head of State inaugurated the Kuningan Dam located in Kuningan Regency, West Java (West Java). The dam, which has a capacity of 25.90 million cubic meters, will supply irrigation water continuously for 3,000 hectares of community rice fields in Kuningan Regency and Cirebon Regency in West Java to Brebes Regency in Central Java (Central Java).

The 6th infrastructure is the Way Sekampung Dam, which is located in one of the national food granary provinces, precisely in Pringsewu Regency, Lampung. The dam, which was inaugurated on September 2, has a capacity of 68 million cubic meters and can irrigate 55,000 hectares of existing irrigation areas plus 17,500 hectares of new agricultural areas. Furthermore, the 7th dam which was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in This is Bendo Dam, located in Bendo Hamlet, Ngindeng Village, Sawoo District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java. The infrastructure, which was inaugurated on September 7, 2021, has a capacity of 43 million cubic meters and will supply irrigation water for 7,800 hectares of agricultural area.

Coupled with the Paselloreng Dam which was inaugurated today, there are a total of eight dam infrastructures that have been inaugurated by the President, leaving nine other dams.

Meanwhile, the nine dams that are still under construction are the Karalloe Dam in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi; Bintang Bano Dam in West Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara; and the Ladongi Dam in East Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi which is planned to be inaugurated in October.

Ciawi Dam and Sukamahi Dam, in Bogor Regency, West Java and Tugu Dam in Trenggalek Regency, East Java which will be inaugurated in November 2021. Then Gongseng Dam in Bojonegoro Regency, East Java; Pidekso Dam in Wonogiri Regency, Central Java; and the Margatiga Dam in East Lampung Regency, Lampung, which is targeted to be inaugurated at the end of 2021.