Drought forces E. Java workers to eat cassava<\/p>\n
Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Already hard hit by the economic crisis that has been assailing
\nthe nation since 1997, more Indonesians are now facing the
\nprospect of being plunged into severe poverty due to drought.<\/p>\n
In East Java, farmers in at least five regencies, Pacitan,
\nMagetan, Ngawi, Madiun and Bojonegoro, have to consume what is
\nlocally known as tiwul (food processed from cassava according to
\ntraditional methods) instead of rice.<\/p>\n
Many subdistricts in these regencies have been enduring a
\nprolonged drought that has decimated rice crops. Besides, water
\nvolumes in reservoirs and retention areas have also been
\ndeclining.<\/p>\n
Most of the farmland in East Java relies on rainfall or
\nwater from reservoirs, which during a dry season such as the
\npresent usually dry up.<\/p>\n
Information and data gathered by The Jakarta Post shows that
\npeople in 15 villages in the mountainous Kendeng area of Ngawi
\nare facing shortages of clean water, although the area is located
\nnot far to the north of the Bengawan Solo river.<\/p>\n
Villagers there have to go between 200 meters and 300 meters
\nfrom their homes to get water. Some of them have also begun to
\neat tiwul.<\/p>\n
Similarly, in Pacitan, which is located in the southwestern
\ntip of East Java, at least three of the 12 subdistricts are badly
\nhit by drought, with local residents being forced to eat dried
\ncassava.<\/p>\n
Those suffering from severe poverty include villagers in
\nDonorejo subdistrict, which borders on Central Java province.
\nThey are also facing a severe shortage of clean water.<\/p>\n
The same applies in Parang subdistrict, Magetan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Ponorogo, more than 100 families in Pulung
\nsubdistrict are now eating tiwul at least twice a day.<\/p>\n
Madiun, which stores rice for the western parts of East Java,
\nis facing a similar disaster.<\/p>\n
Suprawoto, head of the East Java information and
\ncommunications office, said the five regencies were always badly
\nhit every dry season.<\/p>\n
However, he denied that many people in East Java had been
\nconsuming tiwul because they could not afford to buy rice amid
\nthe ongoing drought.<\/p>\n
\"In several regions in the west of East Java, tiwul is known
\nas another staple food. Villagers there consume it not only
\nduring the dry season. Usually, they will sell their rice if the
\nprice is high enough,\" said Suprawoto, who was born in Magetan.<\/p>\n
He said the provincial administration had yet to receive
\ndetailed reports on the drought's impact in East Java.<\/p>\n
But to help residents tackle the problem, Suprawoto said the
\ngovernments in the five drought-hit regencies were providing
\nclean water to remote villages using tankers.<\/p>\n
\"The East Java provincial administration will certainly
\nprovide any assistance needed by the affected regions,\" he
\nclaimed.<\/p>\n
He said his office would continue to monitor the continuing
\nimpact of the drought on local residents. The drought had
\ndevastated 7,000 hectares of farmland across the province by the
\nend of last month.<\/p>\n
However, drought is not the only reason for people to eat
\ntiwul. In Lampung, for example, declining prices in the local
\ncoffee market are the main cause.<\/p>\n
Many coffee growers in Lampung and Bengkulu have long been
\nconsuming tiwul following a dramatic increase in the price of
\nrice and a fall in coffee prices.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drought-forces-e-java-workers-to-eat-cassava-1447893297",
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