US$70 million loan for dams

The World Bank has granted a US$ 70 million loan to Indonesia through the Dam Operation and Improvement Safety Project to restore 65 dams, said Public Works Department's Water Resources director-general, Iwan Nursyirwan Dian. According to the Iwan, the loan was taken because the government was having difficulty getting funding to repair the dams, which were damaged by sedimentation. The project, which begins next year, is expected to be completed by 2012.