Minimizing the Social Impacts of Dam Construction by Otto Soemarwoto (1960S)

Minimizing the social impacts of dam construction by Otto Soemarwoto (1960s). The main purpose of the Dams often have serious ecological and social Jatiluhur dam is to provide irriga- impacts: in the Saguling case they were indeed tion water for the lower northern very large. But the people adapted and developed plains of West Java, but it also produces electricity, provides water fisheries and were able to benefit significantly to Jakarta, and controls floods. from the project. Saguling and Cirata were built almost exclusively for the generation of electricity. Since the dams were funded INDONESIA DEPENDS very ning process, then the environ- partly by the World Bank, an much on exporting oil for its foreign mental and social costs may well Environmental Impact Assessment currency earnings. When oil prices exceed the benefits of the dam. (EIA) was required for each dam. dropped dramatically in 1986 the The Institute of Ecology (IOE) of country suffered heavily, and so is Padjadjaran University was com- now diversifying its energy produc- The Saguling dam missioned to carry out these EIAs. tion to coal and particularly to The Saguling dam was built across Five options for the resettlement of hydro. It is clear, however, that the Citarum River, creating a reser- the people of Saguling were sug- dams can have very serious negative voir of about 6000 hectares. It is gested, one of which was fisheries social, health, and environmental located in West Java, about 30km development. impacts, and if these impacts are west of Bandung, the capital of the not identified when dams are being West Java Province. Downstream planned, and the means sought to of Saguling are the Cirata dam Major impacts mitigate them as part of the plan- (1986), and the Jatiluhur dam Saguling is densely populated; the inundated area contains close to 14 000 people. The main occupa- tion was agriculture and related activities. The inundated valleys consisted of fertile rice fields and dry lands, while the upland fields above the valleys were mostly dry, rain fed, lands. Because of the high population density and a high population growth rate, many people were encroaching into forests, caus- ing considerable deforestation. Marginal lands, such as steep river banks, were also taken into cultiva- tion. The combination of extensive deforestation, steep slopes, high rainfall, and inappropriate farming techniques has, resulted in high erosion rates in the Citarum river basin and its sub-river basins. Based on these observations it was con- cluded that because of its deterio- rating condition, the river basin would eventually collapse. The proposed dam project would inundate close to 5000ha of agricul- tural land, further reducing the land/man ratio, which was already low. Research to determine the existence of any protected or endan- gered species showed only several birds, which would be able to escape the flood, although eggs and young would be lost. The 10E study showed that besides the people directly affected by the inundation, Recruiting local people for construction is the first step in ensuring that there those living above the high water are tangible local benefits. line who depended on resources 6 WATERLINES VOL. 10 NO.2 OCTOBER 1991 below would suffer too. Since only about four per cent of the families were willing to be moved outside Java and the majority of people preferred to resettle in villages around the reservoir, population pressure would increase and exacer- bate the erosion problem. Clearly, the Saguling area was facing a difficult dilemma: without the project it was heading towards collapse, but with the project Saguling would face an accelerated collapse. Ways and means had to be found to resolve this dilemma. Fishing options The studies showed that the Sun- danese people who inhabited the area had a deep-rooted culture of fisheries. It was possible that although land was being lost, a new resource could be formed in its place, i.e. a water body which could be used for fisheries development. It was judged that, with proper training and extension, the prob- ability was high that the people would be willing to adopt fisheries as their new livelihood. Experience elsewhere showed that capture-fisheries usually de- If the people already have a tradition of fishing and an acceptable species is velop spontaneously. A second pos- viable,fish culturing could be very profitable. sibility was aquaculture. In the Mekong river the people tradition- which has entirely dominated the because of the exceptional dry sea- ally culture fish in floating cages. fish population of Saguling. To son, so the water level of Saguling Experiments on floating nets (modi- improve the capture-fisheries it has Lake dropped to very low levels fications of the floating cages) were been recommended that the govern- until almost the end of 1988. Thus successfully carried out by the Fresh ment: it had become impossible to operate Water Fisheries Research Institute a stock the reservoir periodically the pen cultures. at Lido Lake, near Bogor, and with Oreochromis mosambicus subsequently at Jatiluhur Lake. The and the Nile tilapia; latter experiment was also used to o introduce the freshwater sardine Success train the prospective fish farmers from the Ubolratana reservoir in The floating nets, however, were of Saguling. When the Saguling Thailand, which is known to be developing very fast, and by the end Lake was formed, floating nets were very productive and can with- of 1988 there were about 1300 of constructed there by PLN to serve stand high fishing pressures; and them. By this time production from as demonstration plots. a limit the number of fishermen Saguling already accounted for In the meantime, the people were by issuing personal licences. about 20 per cent of the total also constructing floating cages In the end, floating cage culture fresh-water fish production of the made of bamboo. These were modi- and pen culture did not develop entire district of Bandung. The fish fications of traditional cages, which well either. Cage culture failed produced was valued at about Rp5 are usually small and anchored to because the cage was an unwieldy billion/year. This was about two- the bottom of shallow streams by structure which was awkward to and-a-half times the value of the pens. In Saguling the cages were handle, and when a leak occurred rice produced in the rice fields in floated on used metal barrels. The it was difficult to repair. Harvesting the inundated areas before the dam, evidence in a 1979 report also the fish was also difficult. Our and the number of nets was still only suggested that pen culture in Sagul- experiments with the pen culture 25 per cent of the potential number ing Lake's many small bays could gave good results, and people were recommended by IOE. Several fac- work. A small bay could easily be starting to build them. The rainfall tors contributed to this very fast fenced and fish cultured in the in the dry season of 1987 was development. enclosure. exceptionally low, however, and the The floating nets are very well The production of capture-fisher- Cirata dam, which had just been suited for the culture of the com- ies developed rapidly at first, but finished and was located down- mon carp, which is preferred by the soon declined dramatically. The stream of the Saguling dam, had to Sundanese and is cultured widely decline was a result of overfishing be filled. Furthermore, the rice in West Java. The Sundanese were and of the development of a hampal fields in the northern plains of West already very familiar with the cul- (a predator fish species) population, Java required more irrigation water ture of this fish, and the market WATERLINES VOL. 10 NO.2 OCTOBER 1991 7 already well developed, so there Clearly, only the well-to-do people and has started to attract capital were no major difficulties encoun- are able to run such enterprises. from cities. If this continues, it tered in the adoption of this fish. Efforts were therefore made to would compete with the relatively Profits from the floating nets were reduce the costs so that poorer weak fanners and could put them very high, varying between people would be able to benefit out of business, or reduce them to Rp 130 000 and Rp540 000/net/3 from the development. low-paid labourers instead of months. The nets usually measure The fanners usually use double owner/operators. 7mx7m and are 2.5m deep. nets to reduce the risk of fish loss A second problem is the threat The average fish fann unit con- should the net be damaged. Experi- of pollution. Saguling is located just sists of three nets, employing on ence has shown, however, that the downstream of the city complex of average 1.5 people/fann unit, in- risk of damage was negligible. By B andung-C imah i -Pada I arang, cluding the owner. Our survey improving the techniques of con- which has a large population and showed that the people who were struction and using single nets, the active industrial development. Do- employed on the floating nets cost of construction was reduced mestic and industrial wastes are earned on the average 230 per cent from Rp390 000 to Rp280 000. Fur- released into the Citarum with little of their pre-inundation income, and ther experiments also showed that or no treatment, and as a result the their nutrition was much improved strong bamboo rafts could be built Saguling reservoir is quite polluted by their increased consumption of without barrels. The cost of such and apt to worsen. Should this fish.

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