Bili-Bili Dam


The Bili-Bili Dam is located in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on the Jeneberang River, about 30 km from the city of Makassar. It serves several purposes to include flood control, irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. The dam was constructed between 1991 and 1998.

Background

In 1981, Bili-Bili Dam was added to the Jeneberang River Comprehensive Development Project. Construction began in 1991 and the dam was completed in 1998. The weirs downstream of the dam and their accompanying irrigation canals were completed in December 2005. The dam's power station was commissioned in 2005 as well. The project was built with funding and cooperation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. It has several purposes to include municipal water supply for the city of Makassar, about 30 km away, and to protect the city from historic flooding. It is designed prevent an estimated 50-year flood. Water from its reservoir also helps irrigate about of rice fields in Gowa and Takalar regencies. The power station has an installed capacity of 19.25 MW and generates about 69,000 MWh of electric power each year.
Sedimentation in the reservoir has been a concern since at least 2004. The dam is downstream from Mount Bawakaraeng, which is "prone to landslides." A large landslide in 2004 prompted a request for survey assistance to the Japanese government to determine the possible impact on the dam.
An overflow of the dam in 2019 caused a major flooding.

Design

The Bili-Bili Dam is a long and tall rock-fill type. Its reservoir holds of water. Below the dam are three weirs, the Bili-Bili, Bissau and Kampili. They connect to of primary canals and of secondary canals. The Bili-Bili weir covers about of farmland while the Bissau covers and Kampili.