Drought haunts Malang farmers<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, Malang, East Java<\/p>\n
Like other areas across the archipelago, the dry season will soon
\nbegin in the East Java town of Malang. The dry season poses a
\nthreat for farmers whose crops may perish due to a shortage of
\nwater.<\/p>\n
Head of the Malang Irrigation Office Subandiyah Azis said that
\nfarmers in at least two subdistricts in Malang would almost
\ncertainly be badly affected during the dry season, due to the
\nlimited water reserves and poor distribution of water. The two
\nsubdistricts are Purwodadi and Pujiharjo.<\/p>\n
\"We have to strengthen river banks and dams in the area so
\nthat they can retain more water. If the work cannot be done
\nimmediately, water shortages may pose a threat to the planting of
\ncrops and plants in the Malang municipality,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The river banks and dams in Malang were damaged after recent
\nfloods.<\/p>\n
These include Tundo River in Tirtoyudo district in Malang,
\nwhich was damaged at the end of 2003. Sections of the river banks
\ncollapsed after major flooding in the area, causing it to flow
\nfreely and thereby reducing the volume of water flowing into the
\ndam.<\/p>\n
Second, the damage has made water distribution uneven. Farmers
\nwhose land is located near the river banks are able to get more
\nwater, compared to other farmers, whose land is located far from
\nthe damaged river banks.<\/p>\n
Sadly, chances are slim that the river banks and the dams will
\nbe reconstructed immediately, because the Malang government has
\nyet to allocate a fund in the budget, Subandiyah admitted. \"The
\nMalang government is seeking funds from the central government,\"
\nsaid Subandiyah, adding that at least Rp 30 billion (US$
\n3,750,000) was needed to rebuild the river banks and the dams in
\nthe municipality ahead of the dry season.<\/p>\n
The fund will be used to rebuild the banks of the Tirtoyudo
\nRiver, Kalianyep dam that irrigates 50 hectares of land and
\nNguprit dam that irrigates 70 hectares of paddy fields.<\/p>\n
\"The sluices of the two dams are heavily damaged and cannot
\nfunction properly,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She also said that her office was looking into alternative
\ncrops to rice for farmers to plant in order to cope with the
\nimminent drought.<\/p>\n
\"We will talk to the farmers to seek a solution in case the
\ndrought is severs and they will be forced to abandon their paddy
\nfields. If this really happens, we will propose that they plant
\nalternative crops or plants, which are more resistant to dry
\nconditions, such as breadfruit or avocado,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drought-haunts-malang-farmers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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