Public Enthusiastically Welcome President Prabowo for Dam Inauguration

An atmosphere of vibrant enthusiasm, Friday (07/10), welcomed President Prabowo Subianto upon his arrival at the Meninting Dam area, in West Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province. Since early morning, residents from various villages had packed the Dam Area. Smiles, waving hands, and enthusiastic greetings accompanied President Prabowo’s presence during the simultaneous inauguration of five new dams across Indonesia.

Amid the excitement, Husnul Hakim, a local farmer from Penimbung village, shared the significant transformation that he experienced since the Meninting Dam began operating. According to him, the chronic water scarcity that had pestered local farmers for years has finally been resolved.

“Before Meninting Dam was built, farmers had to search for water from 8 p.m. until morning. Alhamdulillah, since the Meninting Dam was built, farmers no longer need to fetch the water. They just need to wait for some time, and their rice fields get irrigated. Alhamdulillah,” he said.

Aligning with his statement, a farmer’s representative from Gegerung village, Rusni, also deemed the dam the ultimate answer to the water disputes that frequently occurred among farmers. “Before this dam existed, there were many problems [that farmers need to face]. [For example,] we fought over water from the subak (traditional irrigation system) [that ran dry quickly]. But Alhamdulillah and Inshallah, moving forward, things will be much better regarding that issue in the future. [Subsequently,] farmers can also farm smoothly,” stated Rusni.

Meanwhile, I Gede Darma Putra, a farmer from West Penimbung village, noted that the Meninting Dam serves as a vital backbone for boosting agricultural productivity. According to him, if the farmers were only able to harvest twice a year, they can now increase their planting intensity to three times a year.

“Previously, we could only plant twice [as] we face water shortages or crop failures during the dry season. Now, with this dam, it is highly beneficial as we can plant three times a year. It also helps manage flooding during the rainy season and mitigates drought during the dry season,” I Gede Darma Putra explained.

Beyond the agricultural sector, the dam realized economic benefits by the community. Hadiah, a resident of Bukittinggi village, mentioned that the dam area has begun creating new business opportunities for locals.

“[In the meantime,] local residents utilize it for fishing [to] help cover household needs. Furthermore, there is a slight economic improvement compared to before. Why? Because of the influx of residents and tourists coming to visit,” Hadiah stated.

On the occasion, the Head of State also simultaneously inaugurated four other dams, namely Keureuto Dam and Rukoh Dam in Aceh province, Jlantah Dam in Central Java province, and Sidan Dam in Bali province. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (NST/LW)