Bart Schultz
In this contribution I will elaborate on one of these areas, namely the polders at primary canal 6 in the Telang I area in the Musi Delta.
Indonesia has a clear classification regarding water management in the lowland areas that are influenced by tides. A distinction is made between classes A, B, C and D:
- A) Areas that can be irrigated during high tide
These areas can be flooded for at least four to five days during both the wet and dry seasons around spring tide. In fact, after development, these are polders;
- B) Areas that can be irrigated in the wet season during high tide
These areas can be flooded for at least four to five days during the wet season around spring tide. In fact, after development, these are also polders, although drainage and protection against flooding are less critical than in the A areas;
- C) Areas just above high tide
These areas are even not flooded in the wet season during spring tides. These are therefore not polders, although drainage, especially in the wet season, is of great importance;
- D) Areas significantly above high tide
These areas only need a drainage system during the wet season to drain away excess water.
One of the pilot areas I was involved in was the area at primary canal 6 in the Telang I area. This is an A area and therefore there are polders. The great advantage in this area is that there is a freshwater tide, with a difference between high and low water of no less than three metres. This therefore offers an excellent opportunity to irrigate at high tide in the dry season and to drain the excess water from the area at low tide in the wet season.
The canal system was a combined system, whereby the same canal could supply water in the dry season and discharge water in the wet season. The primary canal was situated between two river branches and was in open connection with the river, so that ship transport could take place unhindered. There was a movable weir at the connection of the secondary canals to the primary canal. The same was the case at the connection of the tertiary canals to the secondary canals. When these weirs were operated properly, optimal water management was possible.
The polders in the area were surrounded by dikes to prevent water from flowing in during high water in the river and in the primary canal. Another advantage was that storms hardly occurred, so there was almost no set up of water.
When the farmers settled in this area in the late seventies they were given a wooden house, one hectare of land suitable for rice field that had been cleared of vegetation, one hectare where they had to clear the vegetation themselves, before they could grow rice, and a quarter hectare for home yard near their house, where they could grow vegetables and fruits. The farmers who settled in the area mostly came from overpopulated Java. Along a tertiary canal in this area there were a maximum of sixteen farmers.
In the early years, the farmers harvested about one ton of rice per hectare. This was enough for their own consumption, but they did not earn much money with it. However, when we got involved in 2004, several farmers had already developed well and some had already taken over land from farmers who had since left. The largest farmer had even taken over land from four farmers and had thus become a large farmer.
As part of a bilateral Indonesian-Dutch project we were given the opportunity to develop better water management with these farmers in three pilot areas – in fact the farmers along a tertiary canal – in order to obtain a better rice harvest. The intention was also that the farmers would go from one to two rice harvests per year. In good cooperation with our Indonesian colleagues and the farmers this was achieved.
When I visited the area for the last time in 2014, the best farmer had ten tons per hectare of his first rice crop and also a good harvest, around six tons, of his second rice crop. The other farmers were between six and eight tons for their first crop and were also starting a second rice crop. Their improved situation was also clearly visible from the better stone houses with glass windows that they had built in the meantime. The best farmer now even had a car, with which he could only drive back and forth on the access road, but could transport the necessary items, with which he also earned money. I am actually quite curious how things have gone for them since then.
