Govt allots Rp 75 billion for irrigation repair

Govt allots Rp 75 billion for irrigation repair

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has allotted Rp 131 billion (US$15.4 million) to
repairing irrigation canals in Java in a project that will employ
jobless farmers until the planting season arrives in October.

Adi Sarwoko Soeronegoro, the director of Water Resources
Utilization at the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional
Infrastructure, said on Wednesday that the repairs would prevent
the farmers from triggering new social problems.

The government will also cloud seed in a number of areas to
raise the water levels in the dams, he said.

"Those are the short-term solutions taken by the government to
tackle the impact of the drought, particularly in Java," Adi told
reporters in his office.

He said the farmers will work for the government for
reasonable wages and rice.

Adi said the canal program would be located in areas that have
been severely hit by the present drought.

In Banten, the project will take place in Pandeglang, Serang,
and Lebak regencies, while in West Java, the government has
selected Kuningan, Cirebon, Indramayu, Bandung, Garut, Ciamis,
Tasikmalaya and Sukabumi.

Bogor, Subang, Bekasi and Purwakarta, all in West Java, are
being considered as second choices.

The repair works will be conducted also in the Central Java
regencies of Pati, Rembang, Sragen, Cilacap and Wonogiri, with
new irrigation canals to be built in Klaten, Wonosobo, Magelang
and Purbalingga.

In East Java, the canal renovation program will take place in
Mojokerto, Lamongan and Tulungagung, while new canals will be
built in Tuban, Kediri, Blitar, Jombang and Lumajang.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla earlier
said the government would distribute 20,000 tons of rice and
start labor-intensive programs for 250,000 farmers in Java whose
lands are severely affected by drought.

By mid August, about 450,000 hectares of farmland had dried
up, while crop failure had affected about 100,000 hectares in
Java, mostly in West Java.

The current drought, dubbed the worst since the 1997 drought
that triggered forest fires and huge crop failures, is indicated
by the increasing temperature of between one and two degree
Celsius at present. Virtually no rain has fallen in the last four
months.

Adi said a government team consisting of his ministry,
regional offices, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and
the Agency for Study and Application of Technology (BPPT) was
preparing for cloud seeding, which will be ready in October.

The cloud seeding will be made above the Jatiluhur dam in West
Java, Kedung Ombo dam, Wonogiri dam and Sempor dam in Central
Java, he said.

"We'll carry out the cloud seeding as the method used to be
quite effective to raise the water levels of dams," he claimed.

Cloud seeding above the Jatiluhur dam early this year managed
to raise water volumes of the dam to 200 million cubic meters, he
added.

Water level in major dams across Java are quickly dropping and
has gone below normal levels, threatening the supply of clean
water, irrigation and power plants.