Gorontalo's Bulango Ulu Dam targeted for completion by end of 2024


Jakarta - PT Hutama Karya (Persero) or Hutama Karya is targeting the construction project of the Bulango Ulu Dam Package I project located in Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo Province, to be completed by the end of 2024.

In a written statement received by InfoPublik, Friday (26/4/2024), the first dam in Gorontalo was visited by President Joko Widodo during a series of working visits to the Gorontalo Province region on Monday (22/4/2024).

"It will be completed, God willing, by the end of this year so that it can increase the productivity of agriculture and plantations in Gorontalo and its surroundings because this is a very large reservoir, which can accommodate 84 million cubic meters (m3)," President Jokowi said.

During his visit, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachmat Gobel, Pj. Gorontalo Governor Ismail Pakaya, and Bone Bolango Regent Merlan Uloli as well as Hutama Karya's Operations Director I Agung Fajarwanto.

According to Executive Vice President (EVP) Corporate Secretary of Hutama Karya Adjib Al Hakim said that this visit was carried out to directly monitor the dam construction process as a government effort to improve food security, meet raw water supply needs and other benefits for the local community.

"Bulango Ulu Dam is one of the National Strategic Projects (PSN) which stands on an area of 483.05 hectares (ha) with quite progressive progress," he explained.

Adjib explained a number of benefits can be felt from this Rp 1.2 trillion project, such as irrigating Irrigation Areas (DI) to DI Lomaya, DI Alale, and DI Pilohayanga covering an area of 4,950 ha; meeting raw water needs of 2.2 m3 per second for Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo City and surrounding areas; potentially as a Micro Hydro Power Plant (PLTMH) with a capacity of 4.96 megawatts (MW); as a control system and reducing flooding by 84.62 percent, and potentially as a tourism location.

"This project will be one of the highest dams in Indonesia reaching 75 m with a tunnel-shaped spillway channel of 369.06 meters (m)," he said,

Furthermore, Adjib said, the project, which is targeted for completion in October 2024, is being worked on through an operating cooperation (KSO) between the State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) of this work with PT Basuki Rahmanta Putra and PT Bina Nusa Lestari (KSO HK-BRP-BNL) with a portion of Hutama Karya 70 percent, BRP 15 percent, and BNL 15 percent.

In this project, Hutama Karya worked on several jobs ranging from preparation, construction of dam access roads and bridges, main dams to post-project cleaning.

The work that has been completed is the excavation of the main dam as well as bridges and community access roads, leaving a number of dam body structure works, drilling to material injection.

"Hutama Karya is committed to completing the project on target with good quality and it is hoped that the presence of this dam will become a symbol of the progress of infrastructure development in Gorontalo and surrounding areas," said EVP Corporate Secretary of Hutama Karya,

Meanwhile, Pj Governor of Gorontalo, Ismail Pakaya said, the construction of the Bulango Ulu Dam is a future project for Gorontalo.

"I ask for support from all elements of Gorontalo society so that this project can be completed quickly," Ismail Pakaya emphasized. (InfoPublik)