BALINEWSID.COM, WEST LOMBOK – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto officially inaugurated five newly completed dams across the country during a centralized ceremony at Meninting Dam in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Friday (July 10). The inauguration marks a major milestone in strengthening Indonesia’s water infrastructure to support food self-sufficiency, water security, and national energy resilience.

Accompanied by Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo, President Prabowo inaugurated two dams constructed by PT Hutama Karya (Persero)—Meninting Dam in West Lombok, NTB, and Keureuto Dam in North Aceh, Aceh. The other three dams inaugurated were Jlantah Dam in Karanganyar, Central Java; Sidan Dam in Gianyar, Bali; and Rukoh Dam in Pidie, Aceh.

Built between 2015 and 2025, the five dams have a combined storage capacity of 371.23 million cubic meters. Together, they are expected to irrigate 39,540 hectares of farmland, supply 3.6 cubic meters of raw water per second, reduce flood risks across 932 hectares, and support renewable energy development through 9.635 MW of hydropower and 345.94 MW of floating solar power potential.

In his remarks, President Prabowo expressed gratitude for the completion of the projects and highlighted the government’s recent achievements, including lowering fertilizer prices and achieving a national rice surplus for the first time in Indonesia’s history.

“I entrust all of you to take good care of these dams. Manage them professionally, maintain them properly, and ensure that the water needed by our farmers reaches their fields,” the President said.

The inauguration was symbolized by the sounding of a ceremonial siren and attended by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, and West Lombok Regent Lalu Ahmad Zaini.

Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo emphasized that reservoirs must provide tangible benefits to agriculture by ensuring irrigation water reaches farmers.

“The water stored in these dams must be delivered to irrigate agricultural land, as directed by the President. Besides supplying raw water for communities, dams can also serve as renewable energy sources and provide protection against flooding,” he said.

Meninting Dam is one of Indonesia’s National Strategic Projects (PSN), developed by the Ministry of Public Works through the Nusa Tenggara I River Basin Authority (BBWS) in Mataram. Construction began in late 2018 with a total investment of Rp1.473 trillion.

Hutama Karya was responsible for Package I of the project, valued at Rp902 billion, through a joint operation with PT Bahagia Bangunnusa. The scope included construction of the main embankment, supporting facilities, access roads, landscaping, and village bridges integrated with the surrounding community.

Located between Bukit Tinggi Village in Gunungsari District and Dasan Geria Village in Lingsar District, the earth-fill dam stands 74 meters high, stretches 418 meters across its crest, and has a storage capacity of 12.18 million cubic meters, covering an inundation area of 46.16 hectares. Initial reservoir impoundment began on June 29, 2025.

Once fully operational, Meninting Dam will irrigate 1,559.29 hectares of farmland benefiting more than 3,200 farmers, provide 0.15 cubic meters of raw water per second for northern West Lombok—including the Senggigi tourism area—support a 0.80 MW hydropower plant and 9.23 MW floating solar power development, and reduce flood risks across 59 hectares in Gunungsari, Lingsar, Batu Layar, and Ampenan. Its benefits will extend across five districts in West Lombok and the City of Mataram.

Hutama Karya Director of Operations I, Gunadi, said the project faced significant geological and weather-related challenges. To maintain construction quality and safety, the company implemented digital technologies including Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital surveying, photogrammetry, a Project Management Information System (PMIS), and an integrated CCTV monitoring system.

“This integrated digital approach ensured precision, quality, and safety throughout construction, and earned the project the Top Entry in Country award at the Autodesk ASEAN Innovation Awards 2023,” Gunadi said.

He added that being entrusted to build two of the five dams inaugurated by President Prabowo is both an honor and a responsibility for the company.

“We recognize that water is the key to agricultural productivity. When a dam functions optimally and water reaches farmers’ fields, that is the true value of this infrastructure for communities and the nation,” he said.

Beyond strengthening water security, the Meninting and Keureuto Dam projects have generated significant economic benefits by employing more than 475 local workers in NTB and Aceh. The projects were also accompanied by corporate social responsibility programs, including the planting of 5,000 trees, construction of village bridges and roads, mosque development, and additional classrooms for elementary schools.

With the completion of Menintting and Keureuto Dams, Hutama Karya further strengthens its track record in Indonesia’s water resources sector, following the successful delivery of other major projects such as Bintang Bano Dam in West Nusa Tenggara and Ameroro Dam in Southeast Sulawesi. The company reaffirmed its commitment to delivering sustainable, high-quality water infrastructure to support Indonesia’s long-term goals of food security, water resilience, renewable energy development, and improved public welfare.