The role of dams on water, food, and energy security issues: A global review and resolution for Indonesia

Abstract

Surviving and struggling for lives are the major concerns of the people in the world. In order to survive, they highly depend upon water, food, and energy. Therefore, they are trying to povide to meet their needs. Increasing demand for water, food, and energy demand due to world population growth has directly contributed to focus on dams in many countries in the world. Hence, they play an important role in sustainable water resources management, such as flood control, industrial water supply, irrigation, fisheries, recreation, navigation, hydroelectricity, and other purposes. Predictedly, the number of dams will increase 51% of the total dams by 2050. This study aims to analyze the relationships among variables of water, food, and energy. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify the significance of interrelated relationships among variables of water consumption, energy consumption, irrigated areas, and the number of dams by using data from period 1960-2010. Meanwhile, number of dams had significant impact on energy consumption and the number of dams. This indicates that the development of dams will be contribute to increasing the ability to manage water resources and increasing energy consumption in various sectors in the world will have an impact on increasing water consumption. For Indonesia, currently focusing on food and energy securities.This study recommends that the construction of dams need accelerated. The urgency of water, food and energy securites has been the main driver for focusing investment on this facility as well as meeting the demands of providing other public infrastructure.