Minister urges new evaluation of Jatigede Dam

Minister urges new evaluation of Jatigede Dam

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The top government official said on Saturday that parties
responsible for the construction of Jatigede Dam had to stop
plans to build the dam, unless the office of the State Minister
of the Environment issued a new Environmental Impact Analysis
(Amdal) for the project.

State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said the
analysis on Jatigede Dam, conducted in 1992 by the then ministry
of public works, which okayed its construction, was no longer
valid and must be updated.

"According to government regulations, the Environmental Impact
Analysis is valid for only five years, after which it must be
updated," said Nabiel in Bandung.

Nabiel said his office was ready to conduct a new analysis on
the dam, and if it showed that the dam would not damage the
surrounding environment, the project could go ahead.

Since 2000, the office of the State Minister of the
Environment has been responsible for conducting the analysis on
all construction and building projects.

Nabiel also suggested that involved parties were required to
hold a public forum before proceeding with the project.

"Some people will benefit from the construction of Jatigede
Dam, because it could put an end to the prolonged drought and
flood in some areas in West Java, including in Indramayu and
Cirebon regencies.

"But others, particularly in Sumedang regency, will suffer
losses, as they will be evicted from their own land," he said.

It is estimated that 41,000 residents -- or 7,163 families --
of Sumedang regency would be moved off their land to make way for
the dam.

The project began in the early 1980s in order to end drought
for farmers in at least three regencies in West Java, namely
Indramayu, Sumedang and Cirebon. The Ministry of Settlement and
Regional Infrastructure has so far acquired more than 50 percent
of the almost 4,900 hectares of land needed for the project.

The West Java administration and the ministry are to complete
the acquisition of land in Sumedang regency and plan to start
construction by early 2005.

The dam will play an important role in maintaining rice
production in the rice-belt regencies of Krawang, Subang,
Sumedang, Indramayu and Cirebon.

The project was recently brought into the spotlight after a
non-governmental organization (NGO) alleged that the project was
marred by corruption. The Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBHB)
claimed to have uncovered corruption in the Rp 8 trillion
(US$963.8 million) Jatigede Dam project.

LBHB director Wirawan alleged that a private company and
officials from the settlement and regional infrastructure
ministry were involved, and accused them of embezzling at least
Rp 5 billion from the compensation funds for Cisurat and Cibuluh
villagers in Sumedang, who were to be moved off their land.

An official of the project, Leks Laksmana, has denied the
charge as baseless. Laksmana, who headed the project from 2000 to
2001, said if any irregularities had occurred in the land
acquisition process, they must have occurred from 1980 to 1985 or
from 1995 to 1997, before he had headed the project.

He also said it would be impossible for the project head to be
involved in any corruption, as they had no control over funds for
the land acquisition.