Water supply for Lampung's Batutegi hydropower plant getting worse

The water supply to the dam used by the Batutegi hydropower plant in Tanggamus, Lampung is getting worse and worse due to the degradation of the water reserves in the water catchment areas near the plant, Kompas reported on Wednesday.

According a survey conducted by the University of Lampung (Unila), the damage in the forests near the power plant had caused a sharp decline in the water reserves.

"As the result, the water supply for the dam which is used to operate the power plant continues to decline," Sugeng P. Harianto of the university's research team. "That's why the water level in the dam is always below the target even in normal days," he added.

According to him, the dam has been designed to be able to receive 240 million cubic meter, with the water level of 274 meters. "But since it began its operation, the water capacity has never been achieved. As the water level could reach only about 265 meters, the power plant's operation is often disturbed," he added.

Newspapers earlier reported that the hydropower plant with a capacity of about 2 x 7 MW had stopped operation last week due to the lack of the water supply, causing power blackout in several parts of Lampung. (*)