S

outh Korea will disburse US$100 million in loans to finance the development of the Karian reservoir in Banten, the Public Works Ministry says.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said in a press release over the weekend that South Korea had already conducted the feasibility study on the reservoir project, which has been waiting to be executed since 1985.

The reservoir, once completed, will occupy some 2,107 hectares of land. As many as 1,720 hectares will be used to retain 219 billion liters of water, while the dam and associated buildings will cover the remainder.

Resettlement of residents living in the area is estimated to cost around Rp 380 billion ($40 million) based on the ministry’s study in 2007.

The water treatment plant beside the dam will be able to process 9,000 liters of water per second for distribution to residents and industrial facilities in Tangerang, Serang and Cilegon. An additional 5,500 liters of water per second will be utilized to irrigate 21 hectares of agricultural land in Serang and Cilegon.

As of now, Banten is the only province in Java that does not have such a facility.

The government also plans to expand the reservoir’s services to supply water to Jakarta.