Indonesia to Finish Building 13 New Dams in 2015
30 March 2015 03:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo administration plans to build 49 new dams in Indonesia within five years period. As in 2015, the government is committed to finish 13 dams.
The Minister of Public Work and Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, said that they have started with two of 13 dams, namely in Kereuto, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and in Raknamo, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Basuki added that President Jokowi is set to initiate three more dams in Pasar Loreng (South Sulawesi), Lolak (North Sulawesi), and Loh Gung (Central Java).
Basuki claimed that the existing dams in Indonesia can only secure 11 percent or 15 billion meter cubic of water out of 73 million acre of irrigation fields in Indonesia. "With 49 more dams, Indonesia can secure 20 percent of irrigation fields," he said. The ministry itself has allotted over Rp30.56 trillion only for water resource management, which includes the dam project.
ANDRI EL FARUQI (PADANG)
