West Java to go ahead with contentious dam construction
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.