Cilacap Grapples with Access to Clean Water as Dry Season Comes

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two villages in Cilacap Regency, Central Java, have been experiencing drought since Saturday, June 8. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), there has been no rainfall in the past few days as the dry season has arrived.

“Based on reports received by the BNPB on Monday, June 10, 158 families or 627 people are affected by the drought, making it difficult for residents to access clean water,” said the agency’s spokesman Abdul Muhari in a written statement on Monday.

The two villages are Ujungmanik Village in Kawunganten District and Rawajaya Village in Bantarsari District. Muhari said the Cilacap Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) was still collecting data and monitoring the affected areas.

The agency also distributed clean water to residents as an emergency response. “1 tank or 5,000 liters each for Ujungmanik Village and Rawajaya Village,” he added.

Additionally, based on visual monitoring by the Cilacap Regency BPBD’s rapid response team, several residents' wells began to refill after the rain in some areas on Sunday afternoon. He hoped that this would minimize the impact of the clean water crisis. 

“The local BPBD also continues to appeal to residents to use clean water efficiently,” he stressed.

The Cilacap government has declared a Drought Disaster Emergency status in the region from May 22 to November 22, 2024, as an effort to mitigate the drought.

Previously, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) conducted a weather modification operation to induce rain during the transition season and to optimize the potential for rain cloud growth in Surabaya, Solo, Bandung, and Jakarta from May 30 to June 10, 2024.

IRSYAN HASYIM (CONTRIBUTOR)

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