THE CHALLENGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT FOR FISHERY CULTIVATION IN BLOCK A5 DADAHUP LOWLAND IRRIGATION AREA

Dadahup Lowland Irrigation Area was part of the government's food security programs with a large potential area. However, some fields have not optimally utilized these potentials due to low elevation. Agricultural activities were difficult to carry out because it is prone to inundation. Therefore, fishery cultivation could be one of the options for potential development in this land. It is necessary to study the suitability of location for fishery based on the land conditions. The study aimed to assess land suitability and select the appropriate location for fishery cultivation. The assessment was carried out by comparing the existing condition of Block A5 with requirements stated in the Indonesian National Standard, such as land suitability, water quality, pond requirement, and water balance. The water balance was calculated by comparing water need and water availability. Storage modeling simulation using EPA-SWMM software was conducted to identify flood conditions. Furthermore, a comparison was made between water surface elevation and field elevation to determine suitable fishery cultivation locations. The results show that the study area has potential development for fishery cultivation with fulfilled land suitability and water balance requirements, but there was water quality challenge for the low pH result. Therefore, the selection of local fish species that are already adapted to acidic environments could be considered for the cultivation activities. Other than that, the water quality could be enhanced to optimize fishery cultivation. The water quality improvement could be achieved by implementing water system regulations, such as using gates to occur the leaching process. Furthermore, the liming and fertilization process also can be conducted to improve the water quality in the study area. Simulation results explained no overflow from the storage into the field with an approximate selected area for fishery cultivation ± 314.41 Ha. Therefore, the location study is potentially suitable for fishery cultivation development with 19.41 area of the total Block A5 DIR Dadahup. © 2024 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved.