Dams Continue to Dry Up

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

A tour boat captain moors his boat on the edge of Sutami Reservoir, commonly called Karangkates Reservoir, in Kecopokan hamlet, Senggreng village, Sumberpucung district, Malang regency, East Java, on Friday (14/9/2018). The drought lowered water levels in the resevoir by about 8 meters from the highest position during the rainy season, which reaches a height of 272.04 meters above sea level.

UNGARAN, KOMPAS – More dams across the regions are drying up. Effective water management is urgently needed to prevent national food production disruptions.

In Central Java, four dams with capacities ranging from 6 million cubic meters to 10 million cubic meters have dried up and 5,000 hectares of agricultural land have no irrigation water supply. The four dams are Botok and Brambang Dams in Sragen regency and Kedunguling and Plumbon Dams in Wonogiri regency.

Central Java public works, water resources and spatial planning agency’s raw water mitigation division head, Ketut Arsa Indra Watara, said on Friday (14/9/2018) that water debit in 13 other dams has also decreased by 20-50 percent.

“However, overall, water supply is still maintained. Water in the dams is used mostly for irrigation water reserves for the start of the planting season in mid-October and for local regions’ drinking water source,” Ketut said.

Ketut said water levels in major dams such as Kedungombo in Boyolali and Gajahmungkur in Wonogiri were still safe. Kedungombo Dam has an elevation target of 84.36 meters and has reached 83.2 meters thus far. The dam has a water debit target of 435.80 million cubic meters and has thus far reached 393.05 million cubic meters.

Gajahmungkur Dam has an elevation target of 130.49 meters and has reached 130.26 meters thus far. The dam has a water debit target of 143.29 million cubic meters and has thus far reached 136.37 million cubic meters.

State water supplier Perum Jasa Tirta I’s water services and water resource subdivision head, Didit Priambodo, said the water level in Gajahmungkur Dam was lower than the 132.46 meters on July 30. The dam’s normal water elevation is 136 meters.

Three dams in Madiun regency, East Java, are also in critical condition. Water distribution for agriculture had been stopped around a month ago. Consequently, drought threatens 11,000 hectares of paddy fields nearby. The three dams are Notopuro in Pilangkenceng district, Dawuhan in Wonoasri district and Saradan in Saradan district. There is less than 10 percent of water volume left across the three dams.

Elevation at Sutami or Karangkates Dam in Malang regency has decreased by around 8 meters from its highest elevation. At the end of the rainy season, water elevation at the dam reached 272.04 meters above sea level. Currently, water elevation is only 264.26 meters above sea level. The lowest elevation at Karangkates Dam is 259.97 meters above sea level.

Drying

Observation at Sumberpuncung district in Malang regency shows that Karangkates Dam, which is usually inundated in rainy season, has now dried up. The water level is now 20 meter lower than that during the rainy season.

The fishing nets of local fishermen, which are fully under water during rainy season are now aground with their high bamboo poles showing. Local farmers are using the edge of the dam to cultivate crops.

“Every dry season, the dam’s water level decreases. It has always been like this every year,” said Suparmin, 60, a tour boat captain.

Water in Batujai Dam in Batujai village, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has also receded by around 6 meters. “Almost all dams in Lombok and Sumbawa have a water shortage,” NTB public works agency head Wedha Magma Ardhi said.

The dam that was inaugurated by then-President Soeharto in 1976 has a depth of 16 meters. In 2004, it was found that the dam’s water capacity had decreased from 23.5 million cubic meters to 21.4 million cubic meters. The dam’s water is used to fight drought in southern Lombok. The dam can irrigate 3,140 hectares of farmland in Central Lombok.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Residents of the slopes of Mount Sindoro line up to take water from the spring of Mt. Sumbing in Kledung village, Kledung district, Temanggung regency, Central Java, on Friday (14/9/2018). Over the past three months, local residents have had difficulty obtaining clean water due to a drought. According to residents, they were forced to line up longer in the past week because parts of the water pipes to channel water from Mt. Sumbing were damaged by land fires.

Meanwhile, 6,697 hectares of paddy in Kuningan regency and 22,060 hectares of paddy in Cirebon regency, both of which are irrigated by water from Kuningan’s Darma Dam, are also facing drought. Cimanuk-Cisanggarung Flood Control Office’s Darma Dam water supervisor Ahmad Mansu’ubun said that water volume at the dam had reached a critical level.

“Water volume in the dam today is a little more than 18.5 million cubic meters. At our worst water crisis in 2012, the dam’s water volume was 21.4 million cubic meters.

Ahmad said if the condition persisted, the sluices in the dam would be closed on Oct. 15. “We estimate that water elevation on that date will reach the dead storage point. Therefore, we have scheduled a sluice closure on Oct. 15,” Ahmad said.

Electricity disruptions

The water level in Cirata Dam in West Java has also receded. As the main water source for the Java-Madura-Bali (Jamali) electricity line, water supply in the dam should be maintained. If the water level reaches a critical level, electricity on the three major islands may be disrupted.

Cirata Dam Management Office operational and maintenance manager Hijrah Kurniawan said the water level in Cirata Dam had reached 209.9 meters above sea level. This is normal during the dry season.

“Electricity generators at Cirata Dam serve to maintain power supply in Jawa-Madura-Bali at peak hours, including in the morning and afternoon,” he said.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said water recession in dams during the dry season was inevitable. The most important thing is to set priorities so that all needs are met.

“The main priority is for irrigation. Everything comes after that. For irrigation, we can take turns [for the dams],” Basuki said.

According to him, in the dry season, water use is tightly managed and pump wells are operated. Water can be sourced from groundwater and rivers. Under certain conditions, such as in Lombok, the government has put into operation 60 pump wells to meet the needs of people staying in earthquake shelters.

The Public Works and Housing Ministry’s water resource director general, Hari Suprayogio, said irrigation from dams can be done in turns. Regions must take turns in receiving water in certain periods so that all of them can receive water. However, only 11 percent of 7.3 hectares of agriculture land is assured of water from dams. Bored wells can also be constructed on regions with groundwater on certain lands.

Suprayogi said he hoped local farmers would abide by the planting schedule set up by farmers’ groups.

(RUL/NIK/WER/RWN/JUM/WHO/WIN/NSA/VIO/NAD/RTG)