Government Accelerates Construction of 15 Dams for Irrigation

The government is accelerating the construction of 15 dams in various regions to support irrigation for more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land while strengthening national food security. Deputy III for Partnership and Media Relations at the Government Communication Body (Bakom) of the Republic of Indonesia, Kurnia Ramadhana, stated in Jakarta on Wednesday that the acceleration of dam and irrigation network construction is intended to reduce agriculture’s dependence on rainfall and to face the threats of drought and flooding due to climate change. “Without adequate support from dams and irrigation, many agricultural areas still rely on rain-fed cropping patterns which are vulnerable to seasonal changes, including the threat of drought during El Niño and flooding due to high rainfall,” he said. According to data from the Ministry of Public Works as of 21 July 2026, there are currently 240 operational dams and 15 dams still under construction, requiring a budget of approximately Rp32.806 trillion. The fifteen dams are spread across ten provinces: East Java, Central Java, West Java, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Gorontalo, East Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and Maluku. The government estimates that all dams under construction will be able to hold more than one billion cubic metres of water and supply irrigation for over 200,000 hectares of agricultural land across various regions of Indonesia. In addition to supporting food security, the dams are also expected to reduce flood risk, maintain raw water availability, and support the provision of new and renewable energy. Data from the Ministry of Public Works as of 24 July 2026 shows that the 240 operational dams have a total storage volume of 9.74 billion cubic metres, supported by hundreds of small reservoirs, lakes, raw water storages, and boreholes prepared for the dry season and the potential El Niño phenomenon.