Gov’t Builds Rukoh Dam to Support Agricultural Sector in Aceh

The project of Rukoh dam: Photo by: Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing

Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing is currently completing the construction of Rukoh dam located in Pidie Regency in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.

The dam is expected to support agricultural sector and provide water supply in the province.

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono said that the Government will continuously maintain water resources and irrigation to support sustainable agricultural production.

The dam, he added, will also provide raw water and energy, reduce flood, boost tourism and improve the local economy.

“The dam construction will be followed by availability of irrigation network and will be immediately utilized to water the surrounding rice fields owned by farmers,” he said.

The Rukoh dam, which is located on Krueng Rukoh river, has a pool area of ​​767 hectares with the capacity of 128 million cubic meters. The dam will irrigate 11,950 hectares of rice fields, particularly in Keumala District, Pidie Regency.

The dam is also part of National Strategic Programs conducted by Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, through the Office of Sumatra River Basin Management (Region I) to maintain water supply and food security in Aceh Province.

The construction of Rukoh dam started at the end of 2018 and was financed by the State Budget with total investment of Rp1.5 trillion.

The construction was carried out in two stages. Construction firm PT. Nindya Karya conducted the construction in stage 1 with investment of Rp377 billion while state-owned construction firm PT. Waskita Karya, state-owned construction firm PT. Adhi Karya and PT. Andesmont Sakti conducted the construction in stage 2 with investment of Rp1.129 trillion.

Head of the Office of Sumatra River Basin Management (Region I) Djaya Sukarno stated that the Rukoh dam construction progress has reached 8.69% and is targeted for completion in 2022.

“At the moment we are completing the construction of river tunnel before starting the major work at the main part of the dam,” he said, adding that the dam will also provide 0.90 m3/sec water supplies for 22,848 people in Titeue District, Pidie Regency and provide materials for hydropower with the capacity of 1.22 MW.

Djaya further said that Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing also plans to build Tiro Dam in the upstream area of Rukoh Dam. The Ministry is still preparing changes to the design of Tiro dam construction, he added

Djaya also said that Rukoh dam and Tiro dam will be connected through a tunnel that can flow water to Rukoh Dam when reservoir in Tiro Dam exceeds the capacity.

“The design of Tiro Dam construction is a subject to approval due to land issues. The water reservoir will be reduced from 45 million m3 to 5 million m3,” Djaya said, adding that the construction of the dam is expected to begin in 2021.

For the record, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing in 2016 completed the construction of another dam (Rajui Dam) in Pidie Regency with a capacity of 2.67 million m3 of water. The dam provides water supply for 1,000 hectares of rice fields. (Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing/EN)

Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by: Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas