Bantul DKPP prepares water pumps to anticipate dry season in agriculture sector

Bantul (ANTARA) - The Food Security and Agriculture Office of Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, is preparing water pumps as a precaution against drought affecting agricultural lands due to the dry season predicted to occur in the coming weeks.

“Existing water pumps (those already installed) owned in Bantul currently number in the thousands. Perhaps around four to five thousand,” said the Head of the Food Security and Agriculture Office (DKPP) of Bantul Regency, Joko Waluyo, in Bantul on Friday.

According to him, the thousands of water pumps already installed and operational across all farmer group associations (gapoktan) in Bantul can later be utilised to supply water needs for agricultural lands in Bantul during the dry season.

He stated that even in 2026, farmers in Bantul Regency will receive assistance of around 160 water pumps, distributed evenly across agricultural lands in Bantul according to the needs of the farmers.

Joko said these water pumps can then be used to lift water from water sources to meet agricultural irrigation needs.

“So, water distribution from water sources can be pumped up to irrigate paddy fields. Hopefully, if the rivers or water flows still have water, our agricultural lands will be safe,” he said.

He also mentioned that Bantul Regency has six rivers that have served as agricultural irrigation sources, including during the dry season, among them the Winongo River, Bedog River, and Opak River.

“Additionally, there are several agricultural land points that already use boreholes and deep wells. So, the water supply in Bantul can meet agricultural needs,” he said.

He further stated that as preparation, his office is also communicating with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to understand the latest weather potential, in hopes of avoiding crop failures during the 2026 dry season.

“With these efforts, even if a prolonged dry season occurs, we hope the crop failure rate in Bantul will be low,” he said.