Agricultural infrastructure: Improving welfare with dams
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Bisnis Indonesia - Infrastruktur pertanian: Meningkatkan kesejahteraan dengan bendungan
14 October 2024
By Lili Sunardi
Farmers in Indonesia are struggling to find enough water to sustain their agricultural activities. This has made farmers, including Sutrisno from Trenggalek, grateful for the Tugu Dam, which was inaugurated recently.
Sutrisno mentioned that the Tugu Dam has been eagerly awaited by the community, as it can control flooding in Trenggalek and boost agricultural productivity in this region.
Ainur Rofiq, another farmer, also hopes that the Tugu Dam and Gongseng Dam can enhance public welfare in Trenggalek Regency through the tourism sector.
“Enhance the economy, especially through new tourism [destinations]. With these dams, the people have new routes for vacations. Thank you to the President for providing this gift to us.”
In Kaliwungu Lor, Ngombol District, Purworejo Regency, farmers are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Bener Dam. This national strategic project (PSN), set to be finished by the end of 2024, is expected to provide a solution to the regular droughts experienced during the dry season.
“Bener Dam is expected to make farmers more prosperous. At the very least, there will be water access during the dry season. In our village alone, there are 73 hectares of rice fields, not to mention those in the surrounding villages. They will all rely on the dam,” said Paryanto, Head of the Welfare Section of the Kaliwungu Lor Village Government, some time ago.
Paryanto revealed that, besides Kaliwungu Lor Village, farmers in southern Purworejo would also benefit from the dam. Until now, they have only relied on water from the river.
Infrastructure development in the agriculture sector has been a key focus of President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) administration over the past 10 years. Jokowi has been actively constructing dams and retention basins for people living in mountainous areas and has been extensively revitalising and establishing new irrigation routes to help farmers meet their water needs.
Data from the Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Ministry shows that, from 2015 to 2024, President Jokowi's administration has constructed 42 dams, achieving 68.8% of their target to build 61 dams. These dams are capable of storing 2.7 billion cubic metres of water, providing irrigation for 285,303 hectares of land.
Besides the agriculture sector, the multiplier effect of these dams during the Jokowi era can also be seen in the energy sector and flood control. According to data from the PUPR
Ministry, these 42 dams have successfully reduced flooding by 8,895 cubic metres of water per second and generated 153 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
This number is likely to increase as numerous dam projects are set to be inaugurated and completed. According to President Jokowi’s latest statement, the number of completed dams has reached 44, or 72% of the target.
Outside Java
Interestingly, Jokowi has not only focused on dam projects in Java. Over the past 10 years, he has also constructed new dams outside Java. This equal distribution of construction projects aligns with Jokowi's principles of building Indonesia from all sides, aiming for an Indonesia-centric approach rather than a Java-centric one.
The PUPR Ministry’s dam and reservoir information system reveals that, from 2014 to 2024, dams on Sumatra Island have collected 852.13 million cubic metres of water, Kalimantan 172 million cubic metres, Sulawesi 1.4 billion cubic metres, Maluku 50 million cubic metres, and Bali-Nusa Tenggara 312.4 million cubic metres of water.
In Kalimantan, specifically in East Kalimantan, Jokowi has inaugurated the Sepaku Semoi Dam in North Penajam Paser. This dam is closely linked to the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) megaproject. Sepaku Semoi Dam will provide up to 2,500 litres per second of raw water to IKN until 2030, with 2,000 litres per second allocated for IKN and 500 litres per second for Balikpapan City.
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