22 Villages in Banjar Regency Hit by Drought

Dozens of villages in Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, have begun to experience drought due to the dry season. The Banjar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has distributed clean water to 22 villages across nine sub-districts affected by the drought.

BPBD Banjar Head Wasis Nugraha stated in his disaster report on Monday (20/7) that his agency has been distributing clean water to several drought-stricken areas for some time. “The dry season has caused residents’ water sources (wells) to dry up, and the Martapura river water can no longer be utilised,” he said.

As of Monday, BPBD Banjar had distributed 492,550 litres of clean water aid to 22 villages in nine sub-districts. The affected areas include Tajau Landung Village in Sungai Tabuk Sub-district, Tambak Baru Ulu and Tunggul Irang Ulu in Martapura Sub-district, and Mali-Mali in Karang Intan Sub-district.

Also affected are three villages in Astambul Sub-district, namely Pingaran Ulu, Pingaran Ilir, and Kelampaian Tengah; Lok Tamu and Bawahan Selan in Mataraman Sub-district; and Kampung Baru and Jambu Burung in Beruntung Baru Sub-district. Six villages in West Martapura Sub-district are impacted: Sungai Rangas, Sungai Rangas Ulu, Sungai Rangas Hambuku, Sungai Batang Ilir, Tangkas, and Teluk Selong Ulu. Four villages in East Martapura Sub-district, including Sungai Kitano, Melayu Tengah, Tambak Anyar Ulu, and Antasan Senor Ilir, as well as Gunung Batu Village in Sambung Makmur Sub-district, are also affected. These villages are drought-prone areas during every prolonged dry season.

BPBD Banjar has provided 77 water tanks on loan, distributed to various drought locations. In addition to reporting on the drought conditions, the agency also reported on the ongoing forest and land fires in several areas of Banjar Regency, such as Gambut and Cintapuri Darusalam Sub-districts.

Head of South Kalimantan BPBD, Roni Eka Saputra, said his agency is still considering extending weather modification operations in the area, which are set to end tomorrow. “We are still coordinating with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on whether the operations need to be extended. So far, forest and land fires continue to occur, but they are generally still under control,” he said.