Dams Start to Dry Up

The water crisis is spreading across a number of regions in Indonesia. The water capacity in a number of dams has shrunk and some dams have even begun to dry up. Nine subdistricts in Bandung regency, West Java have begun to suffer a lack of clean water since last month.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

The landscape of Cipaku village, Darmajaya, Sumedang regency, West Java, is seen again after water in Jatigede Reservoir recedes on Thursday (13/9/2018). According to residents, the volume of water in the reservoir, which was inaugurated in 2015, began to recede in June.

SOREANG, KOMPAS — The water crisis is spreading across a number of regions in Indonesia. The water capacity in a number of dams has shrunk and some dams have even begun to dry up. The condition is likely to continue for some time.

Nine subdistricts in Bandung regency, West Java have begun to suffer a lack of clean water since last month. "A total of 176,000 hectares have been affected by the drought. It has also affected 115,443 residents," Sudrajat, head of the emergency and logistics division at the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Bandung regency, said on Thursday.

He said hundreds of water tanks with a capacity of 5,000 liters each had been sent to villages to help solve the water problems. The water containers will be placed in the areas until Oct. 31, this year or the end of the first stage of the drought emergency measure ,which was launched on Aug. 23.

"The water tanks are filled every day so that the people will get the water," he said.

Asep, 42, a resident of community unit RW 006 in Tarajusari village, Banjaran district, said many drilled wells owned by the residents had begun to dry up.  He said water supply had declined as residents had to compete for groundwater with a number of factories in the area.

Ironically, during the rainy season, Tarajusari is often hit by floods. Crowded with settlements and factories, the area lacks water catchment facilities.

A similar situation occurred in Serang, Banten. Joni Efendi, an assistant for the operational coordination of BPBD in Serang regency, said the agency had increased the distribution of clean water to five times per day in a number of areas, from one to three times per day previously.

On Thursday, for example, the Serang BPBD distributed clean water twice to Lempuyang village in Tanara district, once to Blokang village in Bandung district, once to Julang village in Cikande district, and once to Sanding village in Petir district. "Residents receiving clean water in these villages comprise 545 families," Joni said.

The director for the operation and maintenance of the Water Resources Directorate General at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, Agung Djuhartono, said the distribution system for the water from the dams for farming areas was based on the annual water allocation plan, which was made in accordance with user needs, namely for agricultural irrigation and raw water supply.

Agung claimed the availability of water, including for farming areas, which received water supply from the dams, had been shared with the public. In each farming area, the planting season is always arranged in accordance with the local condition.

He said if some farming areas had been hit by drought, it might be due to inaccuracies in predicting the rainy season so that the planting time was not in line with the weather condition. However, it could also occur because some farmers planted outside the original plan. As a result, the planting time was not in accordance with the condition of the water supply.

On the other hand, during the dry season, the water level in dams usually decrease. At present, at least eight dams, including Jatigede Dam in West Java, have begun to dry up. No wonder former buildings under the dams could be seen.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Residents of Pakualam village, Darmajaya, Sumedang regency, West Java, take a look at the condition of their former village, which can be seen again after water in Jatigede Reservoir recedes on Thursday (13/9/2018).

Dry air flow

The current drought, according to the head of the weather prediction department of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Agie Wandala Putra, had been triggered by the increase in the flow of dry air from Australia and due to Typhoon Mangkhut in the Pacific. That is why the weather in Indonesia has become increasingly dry and hot. This condition could worsen the drought, especially in Java.

The strong flow of dry air from Australia has been occurring for three days. This condition has triggered high air temperatures in a number of regions. "A week ago, the Australian monsoon season weakened, so there were rains in some parts of Indonesia. Now, it has strengthened again, likely until the end of September. This situation is exacerbated by Typhoon Mangkhut, which has drawn a mass of wet air to the north," he said.

According to Agie, the typhoon will likely cause mild rain in a number of areas, such as in West Java, West Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi. However, in general, the areas of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara will become increasingly dry. "Light rains could occur after Typhoon Mangkhut ends around Sept. 16," he said.

The maximum temperature during the day in a number of regions in Indonesia is quite high. For cities in Java, the temperature is an average of 35-36 degrees Celsius, while at night, the temperature can fall to 20-21 degrees Celsius.

"So, the range between day and night is quite high. The weather is hot, but dry, so it is very vulnerable to land fires," he said.

From the monitoring of BMKG, the worst drought has hit Java, Bali, NTB, and NTT because the majority of the areas have been without rains for more than 60 consecutive days.

The head of the production and climate quality information department at BMKG, Siswanto, said in Java, Central Java and East Java had recorded the longest time without rains.

The driest region in Central Java is Wonogiri, where some areas have been without rains for more than 100 days. Giritontro, for example, has been without rains for 130 days, Baturetno 134 days, and Wuryantoro 102 days, according to the reports of the respective rain posts. The driest area in East Java is Gondang in Nganjuk which has  been without rains for 133 days.

(RTG/BAY/AIK/JUD/NAD)