inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The government is accelerating the construction of 15 dams in various regions to support irrigation for more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land and strengthen national food security.

Kurnia Ramadhana, Deputy III for Partnerships and Media Relations at the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom), stated that the accelerated construction of dams and irrigation networks is being carried out to reduce agriculture's dependence on rainfall and address the threat of drought and flooding caused by climate change.

"Without adequate dam and irrigation support, many agricultural areas still rely on rain-fed cropping systems, which are vulnerable to seasonal changes, including the threat of drought during El Niño and flooding due to heavy rainfall," he said in Jakarta on Wednesday (7/29/2026).

According to data from the Ministry of Public Works as of July 21, 2026, there are currently 240 operational dams and 15 dams under construction, with a budget requirement of approximately IDR 32.806 trillion.

The fifteen dams are spread across 0 provinces: East Java, Central Java, West Java, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Gorontalo, East Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and Maluku.

The government estimates that all dams under construction will be able to hold more than one billion cubic meters of water and provide irrigation for more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land across Indonesia.

In addition to supporting food security, dams are also expected to reduce the risk of flooding, maintain raw water availability, and support the provision of new and renewable energy.

Data from the Ministry of Public Works as of July 24, 2026, shows that 240 operational dams have a total storage capacity of 9.74 billion cubic meters, and are supported by hundreds of reservoirs, lakes, raw water reservoirs, and drilled wells that are on standby to cope with the dry season and the potential El Niño phenomenon.

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