Public Works minister says all is well in Jatigede dam project
Public Works minister says all is well in Jatigede dam project
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar gave
his assurances yesterday that the construction of a multipurpose
dam in Jatigede, West Java, will proceed smoothly.
Radinal told reporters that the thousands of villagers
displaced by the project would be well compensated and that he
did not expect any of the same trouble that beset the
construction of the Kedung Ombo dam in Central Java in the 1980s.
"The social upheaval that accompanied the construction of
Kedung Ombo will not be repeated in Jatigede," he said at a break
during the hearing with the House of Representatives.
"The construction of Jatigede dam is carried out in such a way
as to minimize any upheavals," he said of the project, which was
started last year, Antara reported.
When completed, the Jatigede reservoir, which is located
between the Sumedang and Cirebon regencies, will provide valuable
irrigation for the area which constantly suffers a lack of water
during the dry season and flooding during the rainy season.
The government has to resettle 6,662 families because their
farms and homes are in areas designated for the reservoir.
Earlier reports suggested that more than half of these families
have accepted the government's offer of compensation and
resettlement.
The project enters its most delicate phase, at least
politically, this year -- resettling the villagers.
But Radinal dismissed yesterday any concern that there could
be trouble, saying that he would personally see to it that the
affected farmers are properly compensated for their land and
property. "I even think that they should be compensated higher
than the going market rate because they are sacrificing the land
for the good of others."
The government has certainly learned valuable lessons from the
Kedung Ombo dam, a World Bank funded project that caused the
displacement of over 60,000 families. Many of them resisted being
relocated and they, supported by students and activists, held
demonstrations, some of which turned violent.
The government has also been sued by Kedung Ombo villagers in
court. (emb)