The minister made the statement while visiting the Meninting Dam’s construction site in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday.
"The development of Meninting Dam must not damage the environment. Avoid cutting trees if not needed to not damage the hills. Therefore, construction methods must be conceived prudently and carefully," Hadimuljono said in a written statement issued the same day.
He asked the developer to ensure that the development of the Meninting Dam progresses in an orderly and precise manner so as not to damage the environment.
The minister then instructed the relevant authorities to improve the monitoring of the construction work to ensure the completed dam is of the best quality possible.
"The role of the supervision consultant is essential because they serve as a representative of the (development project) owner and determine the quality of the work," Hadimuljono said.
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The Meninting Dam is being developed as a National Strategic Project (PSN) to enhance food and water resilience in the eastern Indonesian region.
The dam’s development commenced in 2019 with a budget of Rp1.41 trillion (US$94.9 million). So far, the construction has reached 30.49 percent completion, with the dam expected to be completed by 2023.
State-owned construction companies PT Hutama Karya and PT Nindya Karya are the main contractors of the development, while PT Indra Karya is serving as the project's supervision consultant.
With a capacity of 12 million cubic meters, Meninting Dam is expected to provide water to some 1,559.3 hectares of irrigation areas and fresh water to people residing in the northern part of West Lombok district, particularly the Senggigi region.
The dam is also expected to provide 0.8 MW of electricity, reduce flooding by 36 cubic meters per second, and become a new tourist attraction that provides economic benefits to residents.
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Translator: Indra Arief P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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