TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Sukabumi district disaster mitigation agency has categorized the drought affecting several parts of the district as an emergency alert status.
"The alert status will last from September 8 to December 8," said head of the agencys emergency and logistics section, Usman Susilo, as quoted by Antara News.
Usman said currently, the drought is affecting seven of 47 sub-districts in Sukabumi, making it difficult for the local residents to access clean water.
The seven drought-affected sub-districts include Purabaya, Pabuaran, Ciemas, Bantargadung, and Cimanggu, all located in the southern part of the district, he said.
The emergency alert status is aimed at facilitating the measures to deal with the El Nino-induced drought including providing clean water to residents living in the affected area, he said.
"In order to anticipate these areas, the agency has written to each sub-district asking it to report the impact in the sub-district," stated the head of the agency's prevention and alertness section, Irwan Fajar.
"We have been coordinating with the emergency and logistics section of the agency to follow up on a report from the drought-affected sub-district," he said.
The ongoing El Nino phenomenon has also triggered drought in 16 out of the 22 districts and cities in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, said the head of the provincial disaster mitigation office, Tini Thadeus.
The 16 districts and cities might face food shortages, and, therefore, the provincial administration must take all required measures anticipating the crisis, Thadeus said.
ANTARA
