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Jokowi’s plan to build Indonesia’s tallest dam hits stumbling block
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Defending our land: People living in Wadas village, Purworejo, Central Java, stage a protest at the office of Serayu-Opak river basin management organization (BBWS-SO) in Yogyakarta on Oct. 24. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s vision to build Indonesia’s tallest dam in Purworejo regency, Central Java, has been met with resistance from locals.
Around 250 people from Wadas village in Purworejo staged a protest in front of the office of the Serayu-Opak river basin management organization (BBWS-SO) in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
The BBWS-SO conducted a preliminary study and approved the construction of the Bener Dam in Bener village, Purworejo. The President has included Bener Dam among the national strategic projects.
At 159 meters in height, the dam will be the tallest of its kind in the country.
The dam, equipped with a hydroelectric power plant, is expected to provide an irrigation system for 15,519 hectares and electricity across the region, including for Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta.
The people of Wadas village, which is adjacent to the project site, objected to the BBWS-SO’s plan to build a quarry in the village that would supply rocks for the dam construction.
If built, the quarry will wipe away the lush agriculture and dry up reservoirs in the village, Slamet, who lives in Wadas village said.
