Residents Rely on Water Trucks

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Residents take clean water assistance from the local government channeled by the Boyolali Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Kalinanas village, Wonosegoro district, Boyolali, Central Java, Friday (23/8/2019). As many as 5,000 liters of water in a tank was taken out by local residents within 14 minutes. If they are forced to buy, the residents must spend Rp 350,000-Rp 400,000 for a 5,000 liter water tank truck. Boyolali BPBD sends at least 15 tank trucks filled with clean water per day to areas that are experiencing a clean water crisis. According to Boyolali BPBD data, residents in 52 villages in eight districts in Boyolali are currently experiencing a clean water crisis due to drought.

The drought in a number of regions is expected to occur until October or November this year. No long-term solution has so far been made.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A long drought has affected a number of regions in the country causing a water shortage. Residents rely on the clear water supply distributed by water trucks, with the help of the local disaster mitigation agency (BPBD).

On Friday afternoon, the BPBD office in Cirebon distributed 4,300 liters of water to 400 residents in Slangit village and about 10,600 liters of water to 2,205 residents in Kreyo village, Klangenan.

The water distribution effort was not its first. "We have distributed 817,000 more liters of water to the drought area. The water distribution will be continued," said the head of the emergency and logistics section of the BPBD office in Cirebon, Eman Sulaeman, on Friday.

Without the clean water supply from the BPBD, residents in Slangit village used polluted water from an irrigation canal nearby for bathing and washing. The water is sucked up by a water pump and then channeled to the residents’ wells through a pipe. Residents pay about Rp 25,000 to fill up a well at a depth of 10 meters.

The BPBD office in Indramayu has also regularly distributed water to a number of villages in the regency, such as Krangkeng and Kalianyar in Krangkeng district, and Limbangan and Lombang villages in Juntinyuat district.

"Since July, we have distributed 64,000 liters of water. We will distribute some more, if it is still needed,” said Caya, the head of the BPBD office in Indramayu.

Although the drought occurs almost every year, no long-term solution has so far been made. The opening of drilled wells is not effective because groundwater is salty.

The drought also hit Bandar Lampung. The local BPBD office had distributed clean water 80 times in the past two months. At least six districts in the city were hit by the drought.

Meanwhile, residents of four villages in Lubuk Kilangan district, Padang, West Sumatra, have also had difficulty in getting clean water since last month. Residents\' wells dried up, while the Pamsimas clean water supply program no longer functions due the depletion of water sources. The four villages are Beringin, Batu Gadang, Padang Besi and Tarantang.

Budget running low

A more severe drought also affects about 130,000 residents in 18 districts in Gunung Kidul regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). A total of 14 districts have asked for a water supply from the BPBD.

The head of the BPBD office in Gunung Kidul, Edy Basuki, said the water distribution would be continued. "We have distributed 1,200 tanks (water trucks) to the areas that have asked for water supply. Based on our calculation, the budget is only enough until September or early October," said Edy. In fact, the drought is expected to continue until November.

Contacted separately, the head of the climatology division at the Yogyakarta office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Reni Kraningtyas, said that the beginning of the rainy season would be delayed. Rain is expected to fall only in November.

With such conditions, Edy plans to increase the alert level of the drought to an emergency. Meanwhile, the deputy regent of Gunung Kidul, Immawan Wahyudi, revealed that his party had tried to open at least 20 drill wells each year.

However, in some areas, it is not possible to open drill wells such as in Melikan village, Rongkop district. To meet the need for clean water during the dry season, residents buy Rp 130,000 per tank (tank truck).

In Melikan village, the water source of Telaga Banteng Lake dried up in July, leaving behind what resembles a large field. Usually, residents use water from the lake to bathe or wash. "I\'m a farmer. With the drought like this, like it or not, I have to sell my cattle to meet daily needs. If not, I have to sell firewood," said Ratib, a resident of Melikan village.

Four regencies, namely Purworejo, Blora, Brebes in Central Java and Lumajang in East Java, have made contingency plans to cope with the impact of the drought. In total, six provinces have established contingency plans.

In Brebes, the drought left some shallot farmers in the village of Banjaranyar unemployed. Some of the residents migrated to Jakarta or became construction workers. Many farmers in Brebes are wondering why there is no long-term solution, given the fact that the drought has taken place almost every year.

"How long do we have to rely on water pumps? We need a long-term solution, "said Rasbidin, 55, a shallot farmer in the village of Banjaranyar.

Solution efforts

To work out a solution, the Karawang regency government plans to build a number of dams or reservoirs in drought-affected locations. This program is expected to be able to cope with drought, which takes place every year.

The head of Karawang regency\'s Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Eka Sanatha, said the three driest districts in the regency were Pangkalan, Tegalwaru and Ciampel. Dams will be built in the areas.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta provincial government has also prepared steps to deal with drought. The move does not only involve local government agencies, but also private water companies. "I am preparing a ruling regarding the use of extra resources so that the people have the legal basis to carry out extra activities. All [related parties] in Jakarta will be involved," said Governor Anies Baswedan. (IKI/MEL/NCA/VIO/XTI/JOL/BOW/VAN/GIO)