Public Works Ministry Says 4 Dams are Gifts for Indonesia on Independence Day

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has said that four new dams and one weir are ready for inauguration as gifts for the Republic of Indonesia on its 76th Independence Day that falls on August 17, this year.

The construction of the four dams was part of the National Strategic Project (PSN) as stated in Presidential Regulation No. 109 of 2020 concerning the Acceleration of the Implementation of PSN, PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said on Sunday.

The dams and weir are expected to help control flooding and increase the volume of water storage needed to maintain irrigation water supply to agricultural land.

The four new dams are respectively Way Sekampung Dam in Pringsewu District, Lampung Province; Bendo Dam in Ponorogo District, East Java Province; Paselloreng Dam in Wajo District, South Sulawesi Province, and Kuningan Dam in Kuningan District, West Java Province.

Meanwhile, Gilireng Weir located in Arajang village, Wajo District, receives water from Paselloreng Dam and supply water to irrigation networks in Wajo farming areas.

Basically, the five projects are ready for inauguration this August, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, Expert Staff to the Minister of PUPR for Technology, Industry and Environment, concurrently, the PUPR ministry's spokesman, said.

The ministry, however, was still waiting for the confirmation on the exact dates of the inauguration ceremony from the Presidential Palace, he added.

He reiterated that the four new dams and one weir are gifts for the Indonesian nation which will celebrate the 76th anniversary of Independence Day on August 17.

Read: Independence Day amid COVID-19 in the Eyes of Indonesian Diplomats

ANTARA