Japan to Fund Procurement of Dredgers

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 20 November, 2009 | 16:31 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar:The Japanese government is ready to disburse Rp 6 billion for the procurement of dredging boats for the South Sulawesi provincial government in 2010.

Pompengan-Jeneberang Chief of Program and Evaluation, Widiarto, said the dredger procurement was included in a series of negotiations between the South Sulawesi provincial government and Japan. Dredgers are required to reduce the increased sedimentation in Bilibili dam in Gowa regency.

“We have negotiated with Japan. The tender for the dredger procurement project will take place in 2010,” Widiarto said when contacted by Tempo yesterday.

According to Widiarto, the dredging of Bilibili dam has become urgent since it is one of the water suppliers in Makassar and Gowa regency.

Widiarto said the dam sedimentation has now reached 75 million cubic meters. Yet, the dam can only store 375 cubic meters of water. He is concerned that the dam capacity will continue to be reduced if it is not dredged.

Furthermore, Widiarto is also worried about a potential landslide from Mount Bawakaraeng which is predicted to throw up 137 cubic meters of mud into the dam. “Dredger procurement will be a good solution,” he said.

South Sulawesi chief of Water Resources Supply Office, Soeprapto, said the dredger will not only be used to anticipate increasing sedimentation in the Bilibili dam, but it is also expected to be the solution for smooth operation of secondary water channels in some areas, including for the Makassar canal. “We hope it can be realized by 2010,” he said.

There is in fact a 14 kilometer-long canal in Makassar, extending from the east to the south. The once five-meter-deep canal is in unusable condition because it is now only two meter deep due to sedimentation caused by garbage.

Not much has been done by the municipality government since only Rp 400 million was allocated to clean the canal. “Such an allocation is only enough to pay 100 cleaning staffs,” lamented Makassar Public Works Office chief in charge of Water Development, Baharuddin. Hence, he hopes that if the canal is dredged, the funds can be taken from the provincial budget.

Earlier, South Sulawesi governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo had asked the Public Works Department to lend them their dredger. This was rejected, claiming that the dredger that they have was being used by Jakarta government to clean water channels.

TRI SUHARMAN