House Commission V pushes for acceleration of dam irrigation networks

An Indonesian lawmaker has called on the government to accelerate the construction of irrigation networks for dams that have already been built, warning that delays are preventing communities from reaping the full benefits of the infrastructure. Mori Hanafi, a member of House Commission V, said the issue of unfinished irrigation networks is widespread and not limited to the recently inaugurated Meninting Dam. Speaking in Mataram on Monday, he noted that several dams are not functioning optimally despite their main structures being complete. He cited the Mila and Tanju dams in Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, as examples where adequate irrigation networks are still lacking. The Tanju Dam, inaugurated in 2018, has the potential to irrigate around 2,200 hectares of rice fields but currently only serves just over 100 hectares due to the absence of a proper network. Of the dam’s four primary functions, only flood control is operating effectively, while the others remain suboptimal. Mori estimated that the irrigation network for the Meninting Dam would require a budget of approximately Rp200 billion to Rp250 billion and stressed that the allocation must be realised promptly to maximise benefits for the community. He urged the Ministry of Public Works to prioritise optimising existing dams before constructing new ones, arguing that building more dams is futile if they cannot be fully utilised due to missing irrigation networks.