Bireuen Needs Dams to Store Rice Field Water.
The Regent of Bireuen, H. Mukhlis, ST, emphasized that to meet the water needs of the local community in the regency for rice fields, the construction of dams and reservoirs to store water is urgently needed.
This was conveyed by the Regent during a community gathering attended by the Chairperson of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRK) and its members, Juniadi, Acting Regional Secretary Hanafiah, heads of departments, sub-district heads, and the Regional Leadership Council (Muspika), at the courtyard of the Meunasah Teungoh, Pandrah District, Bireuen Regency, Aceh Province, on Friday afternoon (August 1, 2025).
He explained that the current dry season has resulted in rice fields experiencing drought, with some planted rice fields even experiencing crop failure. This is a disaster, he said.
Until now, during heavy rains, all the water has been wasted into the sea. When the rice fields need water, it is insufficient. This is not due to faulty irrigation, but rather due to the decreased river flow due to the dry season.
With the dam, it is hoped that floodwater can be collected in dams or reservoirs and later channeled to rice fields according to farmers' needs.
The construction of reservoirs and dams is urgently needed in the next 10 years. This will allow for high rainfall and flood control, allowing the water to be collected in dams and channeled to rice fields according to farmers' needs, the Regent explained.
"So, in the future, irrigation techniques will no longer be allowed to build dams, but rather dams. Several rivers in Bireuen are currently experiencing declining water levels," said Regent Mukhlis after the handover of the village funded houses. He and his entourage inspected the Blang Samagadeng Pandrah irrigation dam, which has become shallow and covered in mud, requiring normalization.
The Regent then continued his journey to inspect the damaged bridge in Kuta Rusep Village, Pandrah District. The central pillar has collapsed, and the bridge deck has almost collapsed due to flooding several years ago.
Muhammad, the head of Kuta Rusep Village, said the bridge has been damaged by flooding for the past five years. "We hope the Bireuen Regency Government will build a new bridge because it is the main route for residents across the village and for children to go to SMPN 5 Pandrah," he said.
