"This lake needs to be dredged to reduce its sediment. Moreover, the lake is now covered by water-hyacinth that can make the lake shallow," President Jokowi said.Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has estimated that the cost of dredging sediment from Lake Limboto in Gorontalo province could reach Rp11 trillion.
"This lake needs to be dredged to reduce its sediment. Moreover, the lake is now covered by water-hyacinth that can make the lake shallow," President Jokowi said when inspecting the dredging operation at Dehuwalolo village on Saturday.
Noting that the lake is in a critical condition, the president contacted the public works minister and told him to speed the dredging process, as well as the construction of Gorontalo Outer Ring Road in Gorontalo province.
"Upon returning to Jakarta, we will immediately calculate the budget required to dredge the sediment from Lake Limboto," President Jokowi promised.
In the company of Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel, Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie, and Gorontalo city Mayor David Bobihoe Akib, the president viewed the lake for some 20 minutes.
Earlier on Saturday morning, the president visited the Gorontalo fish market on the sidelines of his working visit to Gorontalo.
In the company of First Lady Iriana, the head of state arrived at the location at 8.15 am local time and received an in-depth look at fish trade activities in the market.
President Jokowi also spoke with numerous fishermen and fish traders.
Besides visiting the Gorontalo fish market, the president is also scheduled to inspect the Gorontalo outer ring road project and the expansion of Jalaluddin Airport.
From Gorontalo, the president and his entourage will depart on Saturday afternoon for Palembang, South Sumatra to continue with his working visit.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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