Taufik presses ahead for Jatigede dam project
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.