Taufik presses ahead for Jatigede dam project
Nana Rukmana and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon/Jakarta
The construction of the Jatigede dam in Sumedang, West Java is a political decision -- by the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government -- that must be carried out immediately, the husband of Megawati Soekarnoputri, Taufik Kiemas, says.
The dam construction -- according to Taufik, who was visiting the Gebang Mekar fisherman's village in Gebang district, Cirebon regency, West Java on Saturday -- is a priority as it addresses the water shortages that have plagued areas of the northern coast of West Java over the past decade.
Meanwhile, Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno said the Jatigede dam project would relocate close to 5,000 families and clear some 6,000 hectares of land.
It was not clear where the local residents would be relocated to, or the amount of money they would receive as compensation.
Soenarno said the project, which is expected to start in April 2004, would cost around Rp 600 billion (US$75 million).
Aside from Soenarno, Taufik's entourage also included Fishery and Marine Resources Minister Rokhmin Dahuri, Religious Affairs Minister Said Agil Munawar, West Java Governor Danny Setiawan, legislators Slamet Supriyadi of the Indonesian Military/police faction, and Tjahjo Kumolo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).
"DPR and the government believe that the construction of Jatigede dam must be immediate in an attempt to address the water shortages that continue to recur. If the dam was already in place, the problem of water shortages could be resolved," Taufik said.
Soenarno said the Jatigede dam would have the capacity to hold 650 million cubic meters of water from Cimanuk river.
This amount is enough to supply farmlands of about 90,000 hectares, covering Indramayu, Cirebon, Majalengka, Subang, Karawang, Sumedang and even the Central Java regencies of Brebes and Tegal, according to him.
The West Java administration estimates that some 4.8 million people would benefit from the establishment of the Jatigede dam.
"But the local government must resolve the relocation issue first. If that is settled we can start construction in April next year," Soenarno said.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on the government to cancel the establishment of the Jatigede dam. They say that the construction would trigger human rights violations and huge environmental destruction.
Provinces south of the equator, particularly in Java, have been hit severely by this year's drought, dubbed the worst since 1997.
Some 100,000 hectares of farmlands have suffered from crop failure. Water shortages, and reportedly, power outage is now threatening Java.
in the short-term the government will distribute free rice to some 250,000 farmers and provide jobs for farmers without incomes during the next two months.
Mid and long-term solutions, involve the government's plans to build more dams and rehabilitate farmlands in Java.
The water level of existing dams, such as Jatiluhur dam, is significantly dropping due to the present drought.
A top official from the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure, Roestam Syarief, said that water supply from Jatiluhur dam in West Java to Jakarta's state-owned tap water firm (PDAM) has declined by 40 percent.
The water level in Jatiluhur dam stands at 84.5 meters, down from 94.19 meters.
The water level required for Jatiluhur dam to generate 150 megawatts of hydropower, and to efficiently supply tap and irrigation water is between 75 and 107 meters, according to Roestam.
Besides Jatiluhur, the water levels of Cirata and Saguling dams -- and several other dams in Central and East Java -- have also been declining rapidly, he said.