Post-Construction Problems of Embung in Lombok Island and the Operation and Maintenance Works

Embung or small-scale reservoir has been pivotal in the history and development of agriculture, most notably in the southern part of Lombok Island where the so-called critical area exists. Embung's main purpose is to secure harvest in the first cropping season when the rainfall is insufficient. Otherwise rainfall and surface runoff are stored and will be used for the second cropping season, as well as for the cattle and domestic needs. More than 2000 embungs of simple structures and modern types have been built and subsequently followed by an increased in the operation and maintenance cost. In order to preserve the function of embung, post- construction problems have been identified to allow an adequate and proper maintenance works to be carried out. However such works have been partly hindered by the limitation of government's budget. This underlines the important of routine inspection to identify an early state of damage so that further damages and expensive maintenance cost are avoidable.