Water Resources Department News

Indonesian and Australian authorities have signed an agreement to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to promote sustainable fisheries governance across the region. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has signed a cooperation agreement with the Australian Agriculture and Water Resources Department to combat illegal fishing through a joint patrol. Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce met Indonesia's Minister for Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti, agreeing to co-operate on tracking down foreign fishers that stray into the archipelago nation's vast waters. Through the cooperation, Indonesia is hoping to put a stop on foreign vessels stealing fish in Indonesian waters.

The Water Resources Department has begun using imported machinery on an experimental basis to desilt South Buckingham canal. According to officials of WRD, the desilting is part of the improvement work being undertaken on the 13-km stretch between Okkiyam Madu and Muttukadu under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The project, which involves widening and desilting of the canal, is worth Rs.46.86 crore. An official said about 200 metres of the canal near Sholinganallur is being cleaned on a trial basis using machinery from the U.S.