West Java to go ahead with contentious dam construction

Nana Rukmana The Jakarta Post Cirebon, West Java

Despite protests, the West Java provincial administration will go ahead with construction of a dam in Jatigede, Sumedang regency, to irrigate farmland along the province's north coast.

The project has sparked protest by residents of the area who feel they were unfairly compensated for the land that was appropriated for the dam.

West Java Governor Danny Setiawan said during a visit to Cirebon on Thursday that his administration would go ahead with the project because it was necessary for West Java to remain a rice bowl in Java.

"The construction process will continue despite the increasing protests. The dam is important for a majority of the people in the province because it will irrigate large areas of farmland along the north coast, which has become a rice belt in Java," he said.

Danny said he had established a special team to handle all problems related to the project in an effort to speed up the construction.

He acknowledged that a small group of people in Sumedang opposed the dam, but said a majority of the people were behind the project.

"We promise that we will handle the resettlement of 4,000 residents from the construction site peacefully, and we will provide fair compensation for the about 6,000 hectares of land needed for the project," he said, adding that he had ordered the Sumedang regent to seek a fertile area near the project site to resettle the affected residents.

According to the provincial administration's plan, the project will be carried out next year under the coordination of the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure.

Minister of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno said the central government had designed the dam and allocated Rp 600 billion (US$70.5 million) to finance the project. But, he said, construction has been delayed for five years because of protests by locals and environmental organizations.

The minister said the dam would irrigate farmland along the north coast, as well as acting as a water reserve during the dry season and controlling flooding during the rainy season.

He said it would be able to hold 650 million cubic meters of water and irrigate about 90,000 hectares of farmland in the regencies of Indramayu, Cirebon, Majalengka, Subang, Krawang and Sumedang, as well as in the regencies of Brebes and Tegal in the neighboring Central Java province.

The governor also asked the Indramayu, Cirebon and Krawang administrations be astute in handling the problem of water shortages caused by the low water level in three dams in the province.

"Regency administrations have been asked to take anticipatory action in facing any negative impacts of the severe drought in the region," he said, adding that not only water shortages but also disease and unemployment were threatening people of the region.

Many rural people can no longer obtain water from ground wells or the dams because of the drought.

"Regents should coordinate with provincial administrations, hospitals and public health centers in villages in anticipation of outbursts of diarrhea and skin conditions since many villagers have used unclean water," said the governor.

Water levels in three dams in Cipancuh, Setu Patuk and Waduk Dharma are low and the dams can no longer supply water to the four regencies.

Local administrations in the region have deployed tankers to supply water to locals, and public health centers have been ordered to remain open 24 hours a day to serve the needy during the dry season.

The local administrations have also introduced labor-intensive projects to employ farmers who are unable to work their land because of the drought.

People employed to repair irrigation channels are paid about Rp 10,000 per person per day.