T

he Jatibarang dam, expected to be a solution for recurrent flooding in the Central Java capital of Semarang, will be ready to operate by the end of this year, the province'€™s top official says.

'€œThe project is 72 percent finished. We do hope this will solve the flooding problems,'€ Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo said in Semarang.

Located in Gunungpati district, the dam is to have a total capacity of 20.4 million cubic meters of water. As such, it is expected to be able to accommodate flood water from the city.

Bibit hopes the dam will also deal with the problem of clean water as limited water supply leads to uncontrolled exploitation of groundwater that in turn speeds up subsidence.

Groundwater exploitation, he said, could be a big problem because most of Semarang is low lying. '€œIf such exploitation continues, Semarang will sink five centimeters per year. This will worsen the floods,'€ Bibit said.

Other projects addressing the perennial floods in Semarang include the normalization of Garang River, the development of a west flood canal and improvements to the city'€™s drainage system.

Head of the Jatibarang dam development working unit at the Public Works Ministry, Anang Muchlis, said that the dam would begin to fill in October and would begin operations as scheduled.

'€œThe aim is to be finished in November at the latest and filling will commence the same month,'€ he said.

The development of the dam covers some 266 hectares of land and has needed an investment of nearly Rp 600 billion (US$61 million). The dam is funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project includes the main dam, spillway and a bridge that connects the dam with the Kreo Cave tourist site.

Apart from absorbing floodwater, the dam will have a micro-hydro power plant with 1.5 megawatt capacity.

'€œWe will also develop the tourism potential,'€ Anang said.

A number of locations in the surrounding region have been preparing to develop tourist villages, including Nongkosawit, Kandri and Wonolopo.

The three places are considered to have potential as strategic locations which directly border the dam'€™s greenbelt zone, as well as being attractive to tourists.

Siwarak village in Kandri subdistrict, for example, is only a kilometer away from the dam'€™s greenbelt and is home to natural attractions such as waterfalls and lakes. It also has the potential to develop agriculture tourism for papaya, oranges, cassava and pandanus.

'€œWe are still examining tourism potential considered marketable,'€ said Zubaidi, a youth figure of Siwarak.

Zubaidi said locals want to develop the village into a destination for foreign tourists. '€œWe will offer them a rice-planting experience,'€ he said.