The key to development in NTB is water availability
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) targets the construction of Tiu Suntuk Dam in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to be completed by the end of 2023.

"The key to development in NTB is water availability. With the continuous supply of water from the dam, farmers, who earlier only planted once a year, can grow two to three times the original produce," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono noted in his statement in Jakarta, Friday.

The Directorate General of Water Resources of the PUPR Ministry continues to build several dams in NTB to support sustainable agricultural production, especially since the region has become one of the national food barns, Hadimuljono affirmed.

Tiu Suntuk Dam is one of the six National Strategic Project (PSN) dams built in NTB. In addition to the Tiu Suntu Dam, the five other dams are Tanju Dam, Mila Dam, Meninting Dam, Bintang Bano Dam, and Sila Banyan Dam.

With a storage capacity of 55.90 million cubic meters, the Tiu Suntuk Dam will be able to supply raw water at 68 liters per second and supply water to an irrigation area of 1,900 hectares covering the sub-districts of Taliwang and Brang Ene.

The two sub-districts are considered to have quite a large agricultural land area, though a production decline was recorded in most of the region due to the lack of water supply.

In addition, the Tiu Suntuk Dam has the potential to function as a micro hydro power plant (PLTM) of 0.81-MW capacity, has flood control capability with a capacity to impound 390 cubic meters per second of water, especially for Taliwang Sub-district that is a flood-prone area, as well as a potential area for conservation, tourism, and land fisheries.

The work to construct Tiu Suntuk Dam started since February 2020 and is targeted for completion in December 2023. The construction is conducted in two packages wherein Package I is carried out by PT Nindya Karya and PT Bahagia Bangun Nusa under joint operation scheme (KSO), while Package II is carried out by PT PP-Marfri (KSO).

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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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