"Indonesia is blessed with enormous water resource potential, with its rainwater capacity reaching 2.78 trillion cubic meters per year. However, only around 700 billion cubic meters of rainwater is utilized," he remarked at the inauguration of Cipanas Dam in Sumedang, West Java, on Tuesday.
At the event monitored online from Jakarta, Amin underscored the importance of water infrastructure, such as dams, to ensure optimum utilization of Indonesia's rainwater, which can help stimulate the economy.
"The presence of dams plays a strategic role in supporting people's lives and the economy. In addition to providing raw water, dams can facilitate us to achieve food and energy resilience," he pointed out.
The vice president further remarked that dams are also instrumental in irrigating agricultural fields to boost productivity and elevate the living standards of farmers.
Amin also drew attention to the government's initiative to use dams as hydropower plants to drive a transition to new and renewable energy (NRE).
"In a bid to bolster the contribution of NRE to the national energy needs, the government has resorted to optimizing dams as floating power plants," he noted.
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He stated that dams can also help control floods during the rainy season and reserve water during the dry season.
In his speech, Amin also lauded Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono for his success in building 43 dams and developing over one million hectares of irrigation networks within 10 years of President Joko Widodo's administration.
"Among the results of the minister's works is this newly inaugurated Cipanas Dam, which is a testament to the government's commitment to augmenting water management and preserving this country's food resilience," he stated.
Amin highlighted that apart from serving agriculture- and energy-related purposes, the dam is also expected to emerge as a new tourism destination.
Standing among Indonesia's national strategic projects (PSN), the Cipanas Dam can irrigate 9,273 hectares of agricultural plots and supply raw water to the Cirebon-Patiman-Kertajati economic zone.
Cipanas Dam soars 71 meters in height and stretches 361 meters in length, with an inundation area reaching 1,316 hectares.
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Translator: Rangga P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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