Rain brings little hope for people of C. Java<\/p>\n
Suherdjoko and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Semarang\/Cirebon<\/p>\n
People in the central parts of Central Java province may be
\ntempted to breath a little easier after much-awaited rain fell on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The rain started on Thursday night and lasted until Friday
\nafternoon in some areas.<\/p>\n
However, the local office of the Meteorology and Geophysics
\nAgency asked local people, particularly farmers, not to build
\ntheir hopes up too high, saying the rain did not mean the start
\nof the wet season.<\/p>\n
"The rainfall was temporary in nature and only occurred in
\ncertain areas of Central Java," head of the local BMG climatology
\noffice Widada Sulistya said in Semarang.<\/p>\n
In the provincial capital of Semarang, the rain lasted for
\naround two hours after starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Rain also fell in the neighboring regencies of Wonosobo,
\nPurbalingga and Purwokerto, Widada said.<\/p>\n
"Because the climatological effect is only temporary in
\nnature, the rain that fell was very little -- around one
\nmillimeter only. During the wet season, if averages 100
\nmillimeters on average," he said.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, I would advise farmers not to plant their crops
\neven though there will be some more rain over the next two or
\nthree days. But the volumes will be low," he added.<\/p>\n
Widada said that such intermittent rain could fall in a number
\nof other regions.<\/p>\n
He said this year's wet season would start in October in the
\nwestern parts of Central Java and in November in the eastern
\nparts of the province.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Cirebon, West Java, around 2,000 Muslims, mostly
\nfarmers, gathered on Friday for an Istisqo' prayer ceremony to
\nbeseech God to send rain and put an end to the current drought.<\/p>\n
The ceremony, led by Muslim preachers Abubakar Sofwan Al
\nHafidz and Munawir, was held under the hot sun in an open field
\nin Surakarta village, Kapetakan subdistrict.<\/p>\n
Cirebon Regent Sutisna, his secretary Suryana Natanegara,
\nlocal military chief Lt. Col. Marsudi Utomo and senior officers
\ntook part in the event.<\/p>\n
Sutisna said the drought was affecting about 22,000 hectares
\nof farmland in Cirebon, with 10,903 hectares of crops having
\nalready failed.<\/p>\n
Kapetakan was the area worst hit with all the farmers there
\nlosing their crops -- a total of 2,739 hectares of rice.<\/p>\n
The regent asked people in all 31 subdistricts of Cirebon to
\nhold similar prayers soon in the hope that God would grant them
\nrelief.<\/p>\n
He said the devastating drought should be blamed on the
\n"greed" of those who had exploited nature but neglected
\nenvironmental conservation.<\/p>\n
"Compared to the last five years, this year's drought is due
\nlargely to the destruction of forests to satisfy some people's
\ngreed," Sutisna added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rain-brings-little-hope-for-people-of-c-java-1447893297",
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