Govt hopes to save drying rice fields

JAKARTA (JP): The government is taking major steps to save crops on over 500,000 hectares of rice fields in Java and West Nusa Tenggara which are affected by the current severe dry spell.

The Ministry of Public Works is confident that at least 100,000 hectares can be saved if it can channel enough water to the drought-stricken areas.

Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar told reporters on Thursday evening that the dry spell has already affected rice growing areas in the provinces of West Java, Central Java, East Java and West Nusa Tenggara.

"But I am hopeful that damage can be contained by the efforts of the Directorate General of Irrigation," he said.

The directorate, which is under the Ministry of Public Works, is operating a number of "balloon dams" designed to conserve as much water as possible during the dry season.

The directorate has also experimented with cloud seeding to induce rain. The initial attempts have proven successful.

Director General of Irrigation Suparmono said three balloon dams have been installed along the Brantas river, one in Gubeng in Surabaya, one in Kali Pepe in Solo, and another in Kali Kumpulan in Demak.

"We are now installing three other balloon dams near Madiun, Indramayu and Banten," Suparmono said.

One such rubber dam costs between Rp 3 billion to Rp 10 billion but this remains cheaper than building steel dams.

The balloon dams, which are imported from China and Japan, can store water for months.

Suparmono said his office, in cooperation with the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), has launched cloud seeding operations in many parts of Java to induce rain.

The operation is intended to raise the water level of the irrigation networks which pass through some 1.9 million hectares of rice fields in Java.

The cloud seeding involves spraying chemical salt into a cloud. The efforts began in West Java on July 21 and rain has started to fall since then, raising the water level of a number of rivers in the province, Suparmono said.

The operation will move to Central Java next week before moving to East Java and West Nusa Tenggara. (rid/fhp)