Minister/State Secretary Pratikno and Coordinator of the President's Special Staff Teten Masduki accompanied the head of state for the visit.
Agus Sosiawan, head of the NTT River Region Center, had earlier confirmed Jokowi's agenda of officiating Rotiklot Dam on May 20, 2019.
"We had already held a meeting at the palace, and a near confirmation was reached on President Jokowi inaugurating Rotiklot Dam in NTT on May 20," Sosiawan remarked on Thursday (May 16). Rotiklot Dam can water 139 hectares of paddy fields and 500 hectares of other adjoining crop fields.
The dam can supply clean water to several hundred villagers of Ainiba, Fatuketi, and Motadik in Kakuluk Mesak Sub-district.
The dam is located some eight kilometers from Atambua City in Belu District. The dam that can hold 3.3 million cubic meters of water will be able to release 40 liters per second of clean water to Atambua City.
The dam was built in just 3.5 years as against the targeted four years outlined in the construction contract.
Construction of the dam was done by PT Nindya Karya (Persero) and PT Universal Suryaprima (KSO) under the consultative supervision of PT Indra Karya (Persero), PT Patria Jasa Nusaprakarsa, and PT Agra Pasca Rencana KSO. A total of Rp496.97 billion was required to build the dam, the funds for which were sourced from the 2015-2018 State Budget.
Rotiklot is one of the seven dams included in the Jokowi administration's priority program to be built in NTT.
In January 2018, the president had inaugurated Raknamo Dam in Kupang District, NTT.
Jokowi was scheduled to introduce some 200 thousand fingerlings into the dam during the inauguration ceremony. Moreover, there were plans to plant several flower- and fruit-bearing trees around the dam.
Rotiklot Dam is expected to become a new tourist site for people in Belu District and its adjoining areas.
Translator: Agus Salim, Fardah
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
