BWS strengthens Tapin Dam's water resistance, anticipates drought due to El Nino

Rantau, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Kalimantan III Center for River Basin (BWS) has strengthened water resistance of the Tapin Dam in South Kalimantan in preparation to mitigate the impact of El Nino that potentially causes food productive land to dry out. 

Tapin Dam Commitment Making Officer (PPK) Amir Rahman said that the Kalimantan III BWS has taken anticipatory measures to mitigate the impact of the extreme weather. 

"In respond to the phenomenon, the dam management under the Kalimantan III BWS has made preparations by providing a volume of water storage close to the upper normal operating limit," he told ANTARA in Rantau, Friday. 

The action was taken, Amir said, when El Nino comes the Tapin Dam, which has a capacity of 56.77 million cubic meters will be ready in storage thus the monitored water output operation will be according to the need of irrigation water and raw water. 

"Based on the direction of Directorate General of Water Resources (SDA), every dam manager is to make arrangement volume in the dam as much as possible," he pointed out. 

"We have done that accordig to the instruction of the Directorate General of Water Resources," he said. 

As a connecting water facility from the Tapin Dam to the agricultural land, last year the central government had finished modernizing old irrigation at a cost of IDR115 billion sourced from foreign loan.

With a length of up to 27 kilometers, currently there are 15 agricultural association enjoying the water. Their production claimed to increase as they now can planting more than once a year. 

With the existance of this one of Indonesia's premium class irrigation, it is hope that the national water and food security in Tapin Regency can be realized even though it is hit by El Nino. 

Other steps taken by BWS to deal with the phenomenon is discipline coordination with TNI, Polri and the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD). 

"This mitigation step is taken so that when an extreme dry disaster occurs the Kalimantan III BWS first obtain the information and to make plans dealing with the drough disaster," he said. 

Most recently, the condition of the dam, that was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in February 2021 in Pipitak Jaya Village, Tapin District, South Kalimantan, is now operating normally and has a safe status, Amir said. 

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