Source: Ministry of Public Works and Public HousingDate: 30 July 2020
To support food and water security nationally, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) is targeting the construction of 500,000 hectares of irrigation and rehabilitating 2.5 million hectares of irrigation networks from 2020 to 2024. This target is to support one of the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) targets for the administration of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, namely increasing the quantity/availability of water to support economic growth.
PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said, the PUPR Ministry has built many dams in various regions and will then be followed by the development and management of irrigation networks to support the productivity of agricultural centers. It is hoped that increasing agricultural productivity will also help economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The construction of dams is followed by the construction of the irrigation network. Thus the dam that is built at a high cost can provide tangible benefits where the water will flow to the farmers’ rice fields,” explained Minister Basuki.
Based on Presidential Regulation No. 56 of 2018 concerning amendments to Presidential Regulation No. 58 of 2017 concerning the Acceleration of the Implementation of the National Strategic Project (PSN), seven irrigation PSN were carried out by the Ministry of PUPR. Two of the seven irrigation PSN have been completed, namely the construction of an irrigation network in the Umpu Irrigation Area (DI) in Lampung Province in the form of a 6 km long supply channel with a service area of 7,500 hectares and the Leuwigoong DI in the form of a primary irrigation channel of 86 km which irrigates a potential area of 5,313 hectares.
The other five PSN irrigation networks are in the completion stage, consisted of the construction of the irrigation network in Jambo Aye Kanan in North Aceh and East Aceh Provinces, DI Lhok Guci in West Aceh Regency in Aceh Province, DI Lematang in Pagaralam City in South Sumatra Province, DI Gumbasa in Sigi Regency and Palu City, Central Sulawesi Province and the construction of a dam and irrigation network in Baliase in East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province.
In Aceh Province, two irrigation networks are being completed at the same time, which will irrigate an area of 21,570 hectares in total. The construction of the irrigation network in Jambo Aye Kanan has started since the end of 2016 and the progress is currently around 70.21% with a target to be completed by the end of 2020.
With a construction cost of Rp 225.14 billion, the construction of the Jambo Aye Kanan irrigation network includes 8 km of primary canal work and 34 km of a secondary network which will irrigate an area of 3,028 hectares. The work is carried out by the contractor PT. Selaras Mandiri Sejahtera – PT. Nakhla Sampurna, KSO.
Meanwhile, for the construction of the irrigation network in Lhok Guci, which will irrigate an area of 18,542 hectares, the construction has now entered phase II for the construction of a 10 km long channel and a secondary channel of 812 meters.
Phase II of the DI Lhok Guci construction was carried out by PT. Hutama Karya-Jaya Konstruksi, KSO with a contract value of Rp 255.55 billion. At present, the construction progress is 62.54% with a target to be completed by the end of 2020.
Three other irrigation PSN, namely DI Lematang in South Sumatra Province, DI Gumbasa in Central Sulawesi Province and the construction of dams and irrigation networks in Baliase in South Sulawesi Province are also expected to be completed no later than 2021.
