Indonesia's Five New Dams Worth Rp9.79 Trillion to Boost Rice Production by 720,000 Tonnes
Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo stated that the five dams inaugurated simultaneously by President Prabowo Subianto will strengthen national food, water, and energy security. The dams are expected to increase rice production by up to 720,000 tonnes per year.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (10/7/2026), Dody said the construction of the five dams is part of the government’s effort to support President Prabowo’s Asta Cita mission, particularly in achieving national self-sufficiency in food, energy, and water resources.
In the food sector, he explained that the five dams will provide irrigation services for approximately 40,000 hectares of agricultural land. This is supported by an irrigation network spanning around 280 kilometres, which is expected to significantly boost agricultural output. “In supporting food security, these five dams have provided irrigation benefits for 40,000 hectares, supported by a total irrigation network of approximately 280 kilometres. God willing, with the support of the Minister of Agriculture, they will be able to produce around 720,000 tonnes of paddy per year,” he said.
Beyond food production, the dams also strengthen national water security. Their total storage capacity reaches approximately 371 million cubic metres and they can supply raw water at a rate of 3.6 cubic metres per second. Dody noted that the dams also serve to reduce flood risk in various areas, with a protection coverage of around 932 hectares.
In the energy sector, the infrastructure has the potential to support electricity generation through a hydroelectric power plant (PLTA) with a capacity of 9.6 megawatts (MW) and a floating solar power plant (PLTS) with a capacity of up to 346 MW.
Dody specifically highlighted the benefits of the Mentinggi Dam in West Lombok, which he said has ended conflicts among farmers over water during the planting season. “Alhamdulillah, with this dam capable of holding around 10 million cubic metres of water, it can now be utilised throughout the year. Rice fields that previously depended solely on rain can now be irrigated through an irrigation network spanning approximately 26 kilometres for around 1,500 hectares of land,” he said. Before the dam was built, farmers could typically only manage one planting season per year. Now, the cropping intensity has increased to three times a year with productivity reaching around 6.3 tonnes per hectare. The Mentinggi Dam also supplies 0.15 cubic metres of raw water per second, improving drinking water service coverage for up to 100,000 people, and helps reduce potential flooding in West Lombok Regency and Mataram City.
The five dams were built with a total contract value of Rp9.79 trillion. They are: Meninting Dam with a storage capacity of 9.91 million cubic metres and an inundation area of 46.16 hectares; Keureuto Dam in North Aceh Regency, Aceh, with a storage capacity of 215.94 million cubic metres and an inundation area of 896.39 hectares; Rukoh Dam in Pidie Regency, Aceh, with a storage capacity of 128.65 million cubic metres and an inundation area of 700 hectares; Jlantah Dam in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, with a storage capacity of 10.97 million cubic metres and an inundation area of 50 hectares; and Sidan Dam in Gianyar Regency, Bali, with a storage capacity of 5.76 million cubic metres and an inundation area of 37.15 hectares.