Mataram (city) - Services and Development

Services and Development

The city power supply is provided by a PLN generating plant on the west coast of the island just south of Ampenan. Mataram and the island as a whole have suffered from serious power supply problems for many years building to a crisis point in mid 2010. Despite assurances by PLN to provide a stable supply by August 2010, the problem endured and the island is still subject to ongoing and frequent daily power outages.

The city water supply is sourced primarily from the slopes of Mount Rinjani and the city has a system of small dams to buffer the system. The water supply in Lombok is stressed, so accordingly the city's water supply is under strain. West Nusa Tenggara province is broadly threatened with a water crisis caused by increasing forest and water table damage and degradation. 160 thousand hectares of a total of 1960 thousand hectares are thought to have been affected. The Head of Built Environment and Security Forest Service Forest West Nusa Tenggara Andi Pramari stated on Wednesday, 6 May 2009 that, "If this situation is not addressed it can be expected that within five years it may be difficult for people to obtain water in this part of NTB (West Nusa Tenggara). Not only that, the productivity of agriculture in value added will fall, and the residents are experiencing water deficiency in their wells". High cases of timber theft in the NTB region are contributing to this problem.

Due to the delays in opening the new Lombok International Airport in Central Lombok, the proposed closure of Selaparang Airport in Ampenan was extensively delayed. The older airport on the city's outskirts continued to be used for both domestic and international flights up until its closure on 30 September 2011.

• The expansion of Lombok’s Selaparang Airport was restricted by the proximity of hills to the north. The current state of urban development was major constraint to an expansion of that airports existing runway and taxiways. The opening of the new Bandara Internasional Lombok airport is expected to significantly enhance the development of Mataram city and West Nusa Tenggara province.
• The Lombok International Airport is a new international airport established to the south east of the city of Mataram and to the immediate south of the small city of Praya.
• Project milestones for the US$ 138.9 million Lombok project (Phase 1) are: Review of the 1993 Master Plan in 2005; detailed design 2005-2006; investment bidding 2005-2007; construction bidding 2007; implementation 2008-2011; operation from 2011 onwards.

The University of Mataram was established on 1 October 1962. It is situated in the city of Mataram. The university is the principal provider of tertiary education in the province.