Anticipating Drought, West Java Government Asks Regions to Prepare Water Wells for Dry Season
The West Java Provincial Government has asked district and city administrations to prepare water wells to anticipate drought during the current dry season. This is to ensure that the impact of the drought is not as severe as in 2023.
Head of the West Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Teten Ali Mulku Engkun explained that the impact of the drought this year is predicted to be similar to that of 2023. “If this really happens, the dry hydrometeorological pattern is likely not much different from 2023,” he said when contacted on Monday (20/7).
According to him, the drought in 2023 was massive, affecting 661 sub-districts and 701 villages across 27 regencies and cities. At that time, his agency distributed approximately 33 million litres of clean water to assist communities facing difficulties.
He noted that the average clean water requirement per regency or city reached 670,000 litres. Therefore, he urged local governments to build new wells as they are more effective and sustainable than relying solely on water tanker deliveries.
“Several wells have been completed, while the rest are still under construction. We have also coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to ensure this process runs quickly,” he said.
In addition to providing water, the West Java BPBD has also mapped affected areas. To date, around 1.2 million litres of clean water have been distributed to areas in need.
Teten cited Bekasi and Bogor Regencies as the areas receiving the most water distribution. In Bogor Regency alone, around 10,000 families or 31,000 people have been affected, with aid volumes reaching 300,000 litres.
To maximise field handling, the West Java BPBD is also optimising the role of local volunteers, including disaster volunteers and firefighting volunteers.
“We have coordinated with our volunteer colleagues in the regencies and cities. This is important because, in addition to drought, land fires have also started to occur in several areas of West Java,” he said.