President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, reviewed the progress of the national strategic project (PSN) Bolango Ulu Dam in Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo on Monday, April 22, 2024.
The Bolango Ulu Dam is part of the construction project for 61 dams from 2015 to 2025, which will increase the water storage capacity built by the PUPR ministry to support food and water security in Gorontalo.
The construction of the Bolango Ulu Dam holds PSN status to promote the realization of water resource management, irrigation, and support food security in the Gorontalo region.
Adenan Rasyid, Director of Dams and Lakes at the Directorate General of Water Resources of the Ministry of PUPR, detailed that the Bolango Ulu Dam is a multipurpose dam construction started in 2019 and targeted for completion by October 2024.
“The total construction cost of the dam is Rp2.42 trillion (about US$150 million) with the current physical progress at 48.41 percent,” Adenan said.
The Bolango Ulu Dam has a capacity of up to 84.10 million cubic meters (m3) to support irrigation areas covering 4,950 hectares, especially in the Lomaya Irrigation Area, Alale Irrigation Area, and Pilohayanga Irrigation Area.
Thus, this dam will increase planting intensity (from IP 265 to IP 300) for rice and crops compared to rainfed methods, which only yield one harvest per year. Additionally, this dam is built with an embankment dam type. It covers a reservoir area of 483 hectares, which can be used as flood control storage for the downstream area of the Bolango River.
Binsar P. Simanungkalit, Head of the Sulawesi II River Basin Agency, said that the water source from the Bolango River Basin will be controlled by the dam, especially during the rainy season, by reducing flood discharge by up to 414 m3/second. Furthermore, this dam also has the potential to generate 4.96 MW of electricity.
“Another important benefit of the dam is to meet the raw water needs of 2,200 liters/second, assuming it serves 2 million people. For the first phase, a Regional Water Supply System (SPAM) will be built, distributed in Bulango and Gorontalo Regencies and the City of Gorontalo,” Binsar said.
The construction of the Bolango Ulu Dam is carried out in two construction packages, Package I is implemented by a consortiumm of PT Hutama Karya – PT Basuki Rahmanta Putra and PT Bina Nusa Lestari (KSO), while Package II by a consortium of PT Brantas Abipraya – PT Bumi Karya, and PT Istaka Karya (KSO).
