VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Paselloreng Dam and Gilireng Weir in Wajo district, South Sulawesi province on Thursday.

"Alhamdulillah (all praise to God), the Paselloreng Dam in Wajo district, South Sulawesi -- which was built in 2015 -- has been completed today and is ready to be used," he remarked.

First Lady Iriana Jokowi, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, acting Governor of South Sulawesi, Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, head of Wajo district, Amran Mahmud, as well as other officials also attended the inauguration

"The construction of the Paselloreng Dam cost Rp771 billion. In addition, the dam is equipped with the Gilireng irrigation weir that will greatly support South Sulawesi as a national food barn," Jokowi said.

The President emphasized that securing the water supply is very crucial for achieving national food security.

“The water supply will be adequate if we have as many dams as possible since they can provide sustainable supply,” he added.

Furthermore, a total of 17 dams will be completed in 2021, he informed. They are expected to increase and strengthen Indonesia's food security, he said.

With a capacity of 138 million cubic meters and covering an area of 1,258 hectares, the Paselloreng Dam will be able to irrigate 8,500 hectares of rice fields, the President noted.

"We hope that available water supply will increase the frequency of planting -- from one to two or three times -- to increase the productivity of the land and improve the welfare of the farmers," he said.

The dam will also help achieve water security, he added. "It can mitigate the flood from the Gilireng River up to 489 cubic meters per second and provide 145 liters of raw water per second, which will serve six sub-districts in Wajo district," he expounded.

Furthermore, the dam also has conservation areas which can be used for tourism and provide an alternative income to the community, he noted.

The dam was built through operational cooperation between state-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk and a subsidiary of Kalla Group, PT Bumi Karsa.

The Gilireng Weir, which is located in Arajang village, Wajo district, was built at a cost of Rp199 billion.

The 50-meter wide weir can serve as a source of irrigation water that will be supplied from the Paselloreng Dam, officials said. The weir has a debit intake of 16.34 cubic meters per second, they added. (Antaranews)