President Jokowi Inaugurates Ladongi Dam in Southeast Sulawesi

President Jokowi inaugurates Ladongi Dam in East Kolaka regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Tuesday (12/28). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Laily Rachev)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Tuesday (12/28) inaugurated Ladongi Dam in East Kolaka regency in Southeast Sulawesi province.

Unlike other inaugural ceremonies, this time the President made the inaugural declaration aboard a dragon boat on the dam.

“By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I hereby inaugurate Ladongi Dam in East Kolaka regency, Southeast Sulawesi province this morning,” he said.

For the record, Ladongi Dam has a capacity of 45.9 million cubic meters, covering an area of 222 hectares.

The water from the dam can be used to irrigate rice fields in several regencies around it, including East Kolaka, Konawe, South Konawe, and Kolaka.

The Head of State also expressed hope that the dam can fulfill the need for water for agriculture to support food independence, sovereignty, and security.

“Without water, it would be impossible for us to achieve food security, food sovereignty, and food independence,” he said, adding that the dam also has the potential to be developed as a tourist destination.

In fact, the President proved his point by getting on a dragon boat with several ministers who accompanied him.

“I tried using a boat, rowing, because indeed this dam can be utilized as a tourist destination. Therefore, it is the responsibility of [related] regencies and [Southeast Sulawesi] province to further develop this dam,” he said.

Based on the data from Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Ladongi Dam, which was built from 2016 to 2021 with a budget of Rp1.2 trillion, can also supply raw water with a flow rate of 120 liters per second, reduce flood by 176.6 cubic meters per second, and provide electric potential of 1.3 megawatts. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (DH/EP)