Minister Of PUPR Shares Experience In Overcoming Water-related Disasters In New York USA

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono. Photo: Doc. Ministry of PUPR

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono together with the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea as well as Chairman of the High Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) Han Seung-soo attended the HELP Special Event: 6th UN Special Thesion on Water Disasters, in New York, United States, on Tuesday, March 21.

This event is a Side Event from a series of UN 2023 Water Conference events which will take place from 22 to 24 March 2023.

Minister Basuki said, based on hydrological data recorded in Indonesia, climate change and land use procedures have caused a significant increase in the intensity of daily rainfall and river discharge, triggering water-related disasters in many parts of Indonesia.

"Geographically, Indonesia is not one of the areas traversed by tropical cyclone trajectories. However, currently many tropical cyclones have occurred in Indonesia and indirectly have an impact on weather conditions. Then, based on data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), floods and landslides in Indonesia also experienced a significant increase throughout 2018-2021," Basuki said in a written statement, Thursday, March 23.

Basuki said, to overcome water-related disasters due to climate change in Indonesia, his party continues to optimize the operation of 230 existing dams by implementing rainwater prediction technology and water level to be able to accurately determine the release time of dam water.

Then, secure more dam capacity to store excessive rainfall and absorb the discharge of peak outflows.

In optimizing the dam, he said, his party also still faces several challenges. Based on data, around 230 dams in Indonesia have a storage capacity of less than 50 percent of its annual entry flow.

"Our dam can easily be filled with water at the beginning of the rainy season, so there is no room for infiltration of the peak of disposal. Conditions become more challenging because only a few dams are equipped with doors on spillway or intake to release water early and provide space for higher rainfall," he explained.

To overcome these challenges, continued Basuki, currently his party is trying to modify the dam by optimizing the intake capacity and adding floodgates.

"This needs to be done to allow water release to occur early in the dam basin, so there is room for storage for the next peak discharge. The implementation of this strategy has been implemented on 62 dams that have just been built and are being built," he said.

"The PUPR Ministry is also working with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to optimize the use of rainfall predictions. Forecast information and weather forecasts are thoroughly evaluated and used as input for the operation and maintenance of the PUPR Ministry's infrastructure," added Basuki.

Regarding the event, Basuki appreciated the sustainability of the HELP discussion forum, so that the delegates who attended could share experiences and solutions regarding disaster management related to water in his country.

"Indonesia is closely related to floods, landslides, droughts and other water disasters, so we are grateful for the ongoing support from this forum and can share with each other," he concluded.

Previously, the HELP conference was held in Bali as one of the G20 Special Event series, in 2022.