Four villages to sink

Four villages to sink

CILACAP, Central Java: Four villages in the Matenggeng area along the West Java-Central Java border have been earmarked for a new reservoir, the Cilacap Regency administration said.

A team from the Ciamis Regency administration in West Java will be sent to the four villages, inhabited by 1,226 families, or more than 4,000 people, to inform them of the plan and ensure that they are properly compensated, Roesmidi, the head of Cilacap's regional planning board, told Antara.

Roesmidi stressed the need to avoid conflict during the process of clearing the land.

The four villages affected by the project are Bingkeng and Bolang in Cilacap, and Kaso and Kadupandak in Ciamis.

When completed, the reservoir will be able to irrigate some 23,000 hectares of rice fields in Cilacap and 11,000 in Ciamis, besides generating 15 to 37 megawatts of electricity and supplying clean water to the regencies, Roesmidi said, adding that he hoped the project could begin this year.

The reservoir will also be able to accommodate water from the Cijolang river which tends to overflow during the rainy season, he said. (emb)