Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Inauguration of Way Sekampung Dam in Pringsewu Regency, 2 September 2021, Lampung Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good afternoon,

May peace be upon us all.

Distinguished Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, and Cabinet Secretary who are here with me,

Distinguished Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri),

Honorable Member of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission V Mr. Tamanuri,

Distinguished Governor of Lampung, Governor of South Sumatra who is also here with us,

Distinguished Regent of Pringsewu, where Way Sekampung Dam is located,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank God, Way Sekampung Dam that has been built since 2016 is finished and ready to use today. This dam costed Rp1.78 trillion and has a reservoir capacity of 68 million cubic meters with 800 hectares of overflow area.

This dam is multifunctional. [It] can be used for irrigation, raw water supply, power generator, and flood control. [It] can water 55,000 hectares of existing irrigation area and 17,500 hectares of new irrigation area, which means that there is an extensification. And [it can] provide raw water up to 2.737 liters per second and serve as a 5.4-megawatt power generator. And, as I have stated earlier, serve as a flood control.

With Way Sekampung’s cascade system for water management from the upstream to downstream, we hope that we can maintain the continuity of water availability in one of our national food estates [to] continue production and increase production. Planting intensity can also be increased, from twice a year to thrice a year. It means that production must increase and in turn farmers’ wellbeing also improves. This is our hope.

This dam will function optimally to support farmers’ productivity if it is integrated with a well-organized irrigation system, from the primary irrigation, secondary irrigation, tertiary irrigation, to quaternary irrigation channels. And I order Governor of Lampung, especially Regent of Pringsewu, and regents [whose regions are] related to this to truly pay attention. We hope this dam brings as many benefits as possible to the people of Pringsewu regency and its surrounding areas in order to support farmers’ productivity, help those who lack access to clean water, and reduce the people’s loss due to floods.

That concludes my speech this afternoon. Thank you to Minister of Public Works and Public Housing and all his ranks as well as contractors who have completed this project on time. And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I hereby declare the Way Sekampung Dam in Pringsewu regency, Lampung province open this afternoon.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. (DH/MUR)