Building Lombok from Upstream
Drought during the dry season always recurs annually on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, which holds the title as one of the national rice barns. Farmers witness how the soil cracks under the scorching sun in the southern region of the 4,738-square-kilometre island. River water continues to shrink, forcing pump engines to run longer to extract groundwater to irrigate the rice fields. Some farmers even prefer to postpone the planting process rather than bear the burden of losses due to crop failure. Tobacco is chosen during the dry season because the plant requires little water.
At the same time, several kilometres to the west of Lombok Island, fresh water flows swiftly from the highlands to the sea via the Meninting River, which originates on the western slopes of the Mount Rinjani National Park area. Geographically and climatologically, the western and northern slopes of Mount Rinjani receive higher rainfall than the southern region. This factor is why the southern areas often experience water shortages.
This contrasting dry-season view of uneven water distribution has persisted for decades, prompting the government to initiate the construction of the Meninting Dam in Penimbung Village, Gunungsari District, West Lombok Regency. The idea for the giant dam actually existed since the New Order era but was only realised three decades later through a National Strategic Project (PSN). The project is part of a dam construction programme launched by the government in 2015 to improve national food and water security.
Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo stated that the Meninting Dam can hold 10 million cubic metres of water per second, which can be utilised year-round. Rain-fed rice fields covering an area of 1,559 hectares can now be irrigated via a network spanning approximately 26 kilometres. The rice planting index has increased from just one harvest to three harvests per year, and productivity has risen to 6.3 tonnes per hectare. The dam also provides a raw water supply of 0.15 cubic metres per second, improving drinking water coverage for 100,000 people, reducing flood potential in West Lombok and Mataram City, and offering opportunities for electricity generation and tourism.
Historically, the Meninting Dam, which stands 74 metres high with a crest length of 260 metres, is the first large dam built on Lombok Island since the Batujai Dam in Central Lombok was completed in 1982. A dam is not merely a pile of concrete walls holding back a river from flowing directly to the sea; it is a human effort to manage time. Abundant water during the rainy season is collected in a man-made lake so it can be utilised when the dry season arrives. The forest is the key.