Gunungkidul to Manage Water Industry Following Annual Drought

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The southern coast of the Gunungkidul Regency in Yogyakarta is a long dry-season regular and annually hit by drought. Therefore, the Gunungkidul administration is planning a water industrialization in the region.

“Even though the region is known as a dry-season regular, the northern part of Gunungkidul has plenty of high-quality water reserve, we’re studying the chances of a future [water] industrialization,” said Deputy Regent of Gunungkidul Immawan Wahyudi, following his meeting with Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X on Monday, September 18.

Read: NTT Hit Hardest by Drought BMKG

Immawan said that the high-quality water resources in Gunungkidul are spread across three locations, include in the district of Karangmojo, Patuk, and Semanu. He said that the quality of the water there is continuously protected by the karst areas in its vicinity.

“If it is managed on a large scale, those three water source supplies will be able to supply water needs not just for Gunungkidul, but also for Yogyakarta,” said Immawan.

Gunungkidul has yet to discover a new water source in its southern area to battle its annual drought. “The soil in the southern area can’t manage to produce water despite it was drilled 200 meters-deep, so the most pragmatic way to help the citizens here is by dropping,” he said.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predict that the constant rainy season in Gunungkidul will only arrive in mid-November.

The Gunungkidul administration has received 400 water tanks from various parties to supply water for the people affected by the drought in the region.

PRIBADI WICAKSONO