Ministry of Public Works Prepares Permanent Handling Design for Jamuan Weir
The Ministry of Public Works (PU) has begun emergency response handling at the Jamuan Weir located in Sawang Subdistrict, North Aceh Regency. Through the Irrigation Technical Centre and the Sumatra I River Basin Organisation, the Ministry of PU is preparing a permanent handling design.
The plan includes constructing a new weir spanning 600 metres with a width of about 100 metres, as well as building a water conveyance channel to the existing intake approximately 600 metres long.
This programme is planned to be funded through government schemes, including support from Presidential Instruction No. 2 of 2025 on accelerating the construction and rehabilitation of regional irrigation networks, as well as post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in the Sumatra region.
This permanent handling is expected to improve infrastructure resilience against changing hydrological conditions, ensuring that in the future the weir is not only restored but also more reliable in facing similar potential disasters.
Minister of PU, Dody Hanggodo, emphasised the importance of building and maintaining irrigation infrastructure as part of the strategy to safeguard national agricultural production.
“This handling represents the Ministry of PU’s commitment to ensuring that water resource infrastructure functions optimally to support food security,” said Dody in a written statement on Monday (20/4/2026).
Although irrigation management authority lies with local governments, the Sumatra I River Basin Organisation of the Ministry of PU continues to provide technical support. Coordination is carried out with the Provincial Government and stakeholders to accelerate the recovery of irrigation services.
The Ministry of PU is also preparing long-term solutions. The Ministry of PU reaffirms its commitment to pushing for accelerated recovery of water resource infrastructure to support food security and improve community welfare.
Meanwhile, Deputy Regent of North Aceh, Tarmizi, expressed appreciation for the steps taken to meet the needs of the Jamuan community. Similar sentiments were voiced by Acting Secretary of Sawang Subdistrict, Efendi Nur, who stated readiness to oversee the handling process on the ground.
Efendi hopes that this handling will soon restore the weir’s function and irrigation services so that the community can resume activities, including in the agricultural sector and meeting daily water needs.
The emergency handling has been underway since (19/4) with the mobilisation of heavy equipment to the site. Several temporary measures have been prepared, such as diverting the river flow through the construction of a temporary embankment spanning about 375 metres, creating a retention pond, and pumping to ensure water supply continues to irrigate affected agricultural land.
The damage occurred due to changes in river flow after flooding, which caused the existing embankment to breach and the water flow to shift from its original position. As a result, the weir’s function in channelling water to the irrigation network is not operating optimally.
Disruption to this weir has impacted the irrigation system serving around 1,600 hectares of paddy fields under provincial authority.
This disruption has also affected residents’ agricultural activities, particularly in meeting water needs for land preparation and planting seasons. Therefore, accelerating the handling is crucial to maintain the sustainability of agricultural production.