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.