Indonesia bolsters irrigation and water supplies to mitigate El Nino
Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said El Niño could not only trigger droughts in agricultural areas but also disrupt public access to clean water through the Drinking Water Supply System (SPAM) and reduce water reserves in several reservoirs.
“In addition to deep-well drilling, I have instructed the development of tertiary irrigation networks, particularly those serving rice fields and plantation areas,” he said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The ministry’s mitigation efforts include drilling deep groundwater wells, expanding tertiary irrigation networks, and establishing a cross-unit task force to ensure a coordinated response.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have implemented deep-well drilling programs in several drought-prone regions across Indonesia,” Dody said.
Priority areas include Gunungkidul District in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, as well as several locations in East Nusa Tenggara, which frequently face water shortages during the dry season.
In addition to increasing water availability, Dody emphasized the importance of tertiary irrigation networks in ensuring efficient and effective water distribution to agricultural land.
The initiative is in line with Presidential Instruction No. 2 of 2025 on the Acceleration of Development, Upgrading, Rehabilitation, and the Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation Networks to Support Food Self-Sufficiency.
Under the policy, the Ministry of Public Works is working closely with regional governments to ensure irrigation systems operate at optimal capacity and support national agricultural productivity.
To accelerate implementation, the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Agriculture have agreed to conduct joint data collection and irrigation network planning.
The collaboration is expected to produce more accurate planning, enabling irrigation programs for 2026 and subsequent years to be implemented earlier, more effectively, and based on reliable data.
Through these measures, the Ministry of Public Works aims to maintain agricultural productivity amid climate-related challenges while ensuring sustainable water supplies for communities and supporting Indonesia’s food self-sufficiency goals.
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Translator: Suharsana Aji, Raka Adji