Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia is accelerating the construction of 15 dams to irrigate more than 200,000 hectares of farmland, part of a broader effort to strengthen food security and reduce climate-related risks.Deputy III for Partnerships and Media Relations at the Government Communication Agency (Bakom), Kurnia Ramadhana, said on Wednesday the projects are intended to reduce agriculture's dependence on rainfall and improve resilience against droughts and floods linked to climate change.”Without adequate dams and irrigation systems, many agricultural areas still depend on rain-fed farming, making them vulnerable to seasonal changes, including drought during El Nino and flooding caused by heavy rainfall,” Kurnia said in Jakarta.According to the Ministry of Public Works, as of July 21, 2026, Indonesia has 240 operational dams, while 15 more are under construction with a combined budget requirement of about Rp32.806 trillion.The projects are located across 10 provinces: East Java, Central Java, West Java, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Gorontalo, East Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and Maluku.Once completed, the 15 dams are expected to store more than 1 billion cubic meters of water and provide irrigation for more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land across Indonesia.Beyond supporting food security, the dams are expected to reduce flood risks, improve raw water availability, and support the development of renewable energy.The Ministry of Public Works said that, as of July 24, 2026, Indonesia's 240 operational dams have a combined storage capacity of 9.74 billion cubic meters.The country's water infrastructure is also supported by hundreds of reservoirs, lakes, raw water storage facilities, and drilled wells prepared to help mitigate the impacts of the dry season and potential El Nino conditions.