VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Four dams, currently under construction, in Sepaku Sub-district and its surroundings will constitute the water source to meet needs of residents at the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara, the New Capital City Authority (OIKN) stated.

"The four dams are the Sepaku Semoi Dam, the Batu Lepek Dam, the West IKN Water Resources Dam, and the South IKN Water Resources Dam," Director of Basic Facilities and Infrastructure of OIKN Agus Ahyar noted in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Thursday.

Ahyar remarked that the Batu Lepek Dam is located in Jonggon Village, Loa Kulu Sub-district, Kutai Kartanegara District, and is capable of producing up to 4,300 liters of raw water per second.

Meanwhile, the Sepaku Semoi Dam is located in the villages of Argomulyo and Suko Mulyo in Sepaku Sub-district, with a capacity to produce 2,500 liters of raw water per second.

Moreover, the West IKN Water Resources Dam in Sepaku Sub-district and Sukaraja Village is capable of producing up to 5,710 liters per second of raw water.

Furthermore, the South IKN Water Resources Dam in Pemaluan Village, Sepaku Sub-district, is able to produce 1,650 liters of raw water per second.

Ahyar noted that IKN will implement a sponge city concept or a water-friendly city that will immediately absorb water into the ground during rains, so as to increase water supply not only from dams, reservoirs, or ponds but also from rainwater with environmentally friendly drainage.

In an effort to manage excess rainwater, various methods have been applied, including collecting water through reservoirs to be used immediately or being stored in natural water bodies, he remarked.

It will be followed by distributing it to the nearest riparian to reduce the burden on the river downstream, including maintaining the applied system to become efficient and sustainable, Ahyar explained.

Meanwhile, environmental damage will be closely related to climate change that is marked by rising sea levels, increase in air temperature, and changes in rain duration and intensity.

Along with the development of IKN, Ahyar said the land will be built into roads, parking areas, and various other buildings with cement bases that hamper rainwater absorption.

"For this matter, a low-impact development drainage system has been prepared to hold rainwater runoff, so that it can be absorbed into the ground while simultaneously increasing aquifer reserves and filter rainwater and pollutants from surface runoff," he remarked. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has promised to provide electric vehicles to State Vocational High School (SMKN) 2 of Central Bengkulu, Bengkulu, to support learning activities at the school.

"This morning, I was at SMKN 2 Central Bengkulu to witness the teaching and learning activities, and I saw that vehicles for practical (learning) are still very lacking," Jokowi said in Bengkulu on Thursday.

After checking the facilities at the school, he stated that the workshop equipment in the automotive laboratory does not necessarily meet the needs of learning.

"I have promised the (Bengkulu) Governor and District Head (of Central Bengkulu) that I will send new vehicles as well as electric cars and motorcycles," he remarked.

Jokowi said he will send new e-vehicles for the students so they can apply the knowledge gained in classrooms.

Meanwhile, the Principal of SMKN 2 Central Bengkulu, Edi Rusman Jaya, remarked that everyone at the school was pleased with the president and first lady's visit.

"This might be a chance of a lifetime. We are all very happy," Jaya remarked.

The president is in Bengkulu Province for a three-day working visit from Wednesday (July 19).

On the first day, he visited the 2023 Tabut Festival to see the Dhol musical instrument show performed by elementary school students at Merdeka Square in Bengkulu City.

Meanwhile, on the second day, after reviewing teaching and learning activities at SMKN 2 Central Bengkulu, he visited the Srikuncoro Village Health Center in Central Bengkulu.

During his working visit, the head of state was accompanied by First Lady Iriana, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, and Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged community health centers (puskesmas) to innovate in reducing the number of stunting cases in their respective areas.

During his visit to Srikuncoro Puskesmas in Central Bengkulu District, Bengkulu Province, on Thursday, he lauded the puskesmas' innovation in processing eel and cassava into additional nutritious food for children.

"Those food commodities, including eel nuggets, provide high protein. This type of innovation is needed to accelerate the reduction of stunting in all regions," Jokowi said, as quoted from a broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat Bureau in Jakarta.

The head of state also praised the success of the Bengkulu government in reducing the prevalence of child stunting from 22 percent to 18 percent.

"I am pleased that stunting prevalence in Bengkulu Province has decreased from 22 percent to 18 percent, which is below the national average," he remarked.

Jokowi also expressed optimism that the number could fall below 14 percent by 2024.

Stunting prevalence in Indonesia has dropped from 24.4 percent in 2021 to 21.6 percent in 2022. The government is targeting to reduce the number of stunting cases to 14 percent by 2024.

Jokowi has called on all local governments to increase the provision of additional nutritious food to prevent children from experiencing stunting, a condition in which children fail to grow due to chronic malnutrition, recurrent infections, and a lack of stimulation.

"In Bengkulu, I assessed that not many children experienced stunting and continue to be given good nutrition, and this is what I want all provinces to do the same," he affirmed.

Moreover, he stated that public participation, private participation, and private donations are used to support stunting eradication efforts.

Accompanying the president on his working visit were Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah, and Acting Head of Central Bengkulu District Heriyandi Roni. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia urged G20 members to work together to resolve global challenges during the third G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Indian Presidency recently.

The challenges pertain to sustainable finance and infrastructure, economy and global health, international financial architecture, international tax, as well as the financial sector and financial inclusion, among others.

"In financial sustainability and infrastructure agenda, there are many crucial factors in pursuing the collective goal of sustainable development and climate agenda," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said, according to a statement of her ministry received here on Wednesday.

The meeting was held on17-18 July 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

The factors include transition finance; blended finance scheme; comprehensive fiscal, real sector, macro, and microprudential policies; and the classification of green transition activities, she informed.

Indrawati called for global-scale collaboration to achieve those goals so that all countries are on the same path leading toward the climate and sustainable development targets.

As for infrastructure, Indonesia seconded the G20 principle of voluntary future cities funding in pursuing sustainable infrastructure development to create inclusive, great, and sustainable cities, she affirmed.

Touching upon global health issues, the state treasurer asked the finance ministers and health ministers of G20 nations to maintain good relations with one another as preparation for facing another pandemic.

Indrawati said that Indonesia has responded positively to the call for proposals issued by the Pandemic Fund, and is expecting the first wave of the funding, which will come in slowly in some months.

"However, the current Pandemic Fund is at US$1.7 billion, still far below the needed fund of US$10.5 billion," she highlighted.

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) is consulting with the World Bank, European Investment Bank, and International Monetary Fund to develop a Framework of Economic Vulnerabilities and Risks (FEVR), she noted.

In terms of international financial architecture, Indonesia is promoting the implementation of the capital adequacy framework issued by the Multilateral Development Bank, she said.

The G20 also need to seize the opportunity of improving the Multilateral Development Bank and private investments to fund Global Public Goods (GPG), the minister said.

She highlighted that Indonesia has set an example in global public goods funding through the energy transition mechanism as a financing method that involves the government, the Multilateral Development Bank, and private investment.

As for international taxes, Indrawati stressed on the aims of Two-Pillar Solutions, those being promoting fairness, ease of access, and certainty, she added.

The first pillar involves allocating profit in a more fair manner so as to emphasize equality, whereas the second pillar is to address the remaining base erosion and the profit shifting issue, the minister said.

She also called for the development of the second pillar's capacity, as it will be implemented soon. (Antaranews)