Makassar (ANTARA) - The South Sulawesi regional government commenced the construction of Jenelata Dam in Manyampa Village, Gowa District, with a budget of Rp4.1 trillion.

Acting Regional Secretary of South Sulawesi Muhammad Arsjad, in his statement in Makassar, Wednesday, expressed gratitude to the local governments, investors, contractors and consultants as well as the people of Gowa District in addition to other parties participating in the construction of the Jenelata Dam.

He said that the project will indubitably increase water supply on a continual basis that will ultimately strengthen food security in South Sulawesi Province.

According to Arsjad, the construction of Jenelata Dam will use loan agreement funds and assistance funds from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

The dam's construction work will be carried out by PT Adhi Karya, PT Wijaya Karya, and KSO CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. from China.

"God willing, this dam will be the largest in South Sulawesi and is part of the National Strategic Project (PSN) and is the largest and first collaboration project in South Sulawesi with the Chinese Government, with a fairly large budget of Rp4.1 trillion," Arsjad remarked.

He noted that in future, the dam could provide several benefits, not only in terms of preparing raw water but also for agricultural purposes and for an electricity power plant. It can also contribute to future disaster mitigation control efforts.

"We hope that the activities planned for 2023 to 2028 will be approximately five years later, the planned work period, and of course, we should be grateful for the strategic programs placed in South Sulawesi and Gowa District, especially those that have multidimensional benefits for us," he stated.

Moreover, Arsjad stated yesterday that due to El Nino, agricultural productivity was disrupted and the fulfillment of raw water needs was also hampered. With the presence of the dam, such problems can be minimized in future.

Director of Dams and Lakes of the Directorate General of Water Resources of the PUPR Ministry, Adenan Rasyid, stated that the activity would not have taken place without the support of all parties.

"We hope that in future, cooperation and collaboration will continue and run, so that the goals we want to achieve can be carried out as we hope (that is) on time, with the right quality, and on target," he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Head of the Pompengan Jeneberang River Region Center (BBWSPJ) Suryadarma Hasyim, explained that the Bili-bili Dam has a capacity of only 3.3 cubic meters per second for flood mitigation, and in 2019, a major flood had occurred. Hence, to that end, the development of Jenelata Dam has been accelerated.

"We hope that the function of this dam will be more optimal. First of all, it will reduce flooding in Makassar City as well as help during drought. Thus, with a water storage capacity of 27 million cubic meters, it will provide a water park when El Nino occurs," he stated.

"Hence, in the rainy season, we prevent flooding, while in the dry season, we use the water for agriculture, raw water supply, and also for meeting the community needs," he elaborated.
 

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