Bekasi Regency Government distributes 5.7 million litres of water to drought-affected residents
The Bekasi Regency Government in West Java has so far distributed 5.7 million litres of clean water to residents affected by drought since the initial distribution on Tuesday (9/6), as part of efforts to prevent a water crisis throughout the 2026 dry season.
“Assistance is still being provided as long as it is needed to meet the basic needs of residents affected by drought,” said Muchlis, Chief Executive of the Bekasi Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), in Cikarang on Thursday.
He said the clean water distribution assistance targets drought-affected residents in 35 villages spread across 11 sub-districts, with distribution points currently reaching 192 locations.
“The total as of this afternoon has reached 5,797,500 litres of clean water distributed to 65,659 people from 21,333 households affected by drought,” he said.
The clean water assistance covers drought-affected areas including Sukawangi, Babelan, Sukakarya, Pebayuran, Tambun Selatan, Cikarang Selatan, Cikarang Pusat, Serang Baru, Cibarusah, Bojongmangu and Setu sub-districts.
The southern part of Bekasi Regency is the worst affected by drought. A number of villages in Cibarusah and Bojongmangu sub-districts have relatively high drought distribution points.
“Cibarusah Kota has 14 points, Ridomanah 13 points, Ridogalih 11 points, Cibarusah Jaya and Sirnajati seven points each. In Bojongmangu, Medalkrisna has 16 points, Karangindah 17 points, Karangmulya three points, Sukamukti two points and Bojongmangu Village one point,” he said.
Meanwhile, other southern areas also severely affected by drought are in Serang Baru Sub-district, with details of 13 points in Jayamulya Village, 11 points in Nagasari, Nagacipta seven points, Jayasampurna five points and three points in Cilangkara Village.
A number of agencies are actively involved in helping drought-affected residents through the distribution of clean water, including Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), the River Basin Agency (BBWS), Perum Jasa Tirta (PJT), the Scout Movement, the Ministry of Public Works’ Jamket, as well as corporate CSR programmes and industrial estates.
Dody Supriyadi, Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Bekasi Regency BPBD, added that the impact of the drought is not only felt by communities needing water for daily needs but also on productive agricultural land.
“There are 1,827 hectares of productive agricultural land affected by drought. The land is spread across 15 sub-districts and 45 villages,” he said.
The regional government continues to take a number of steps to address the impact, including pumping programmes in drought-affected agricultural areas through the Agriculture Office and Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi.
The regional government, together with a number of institutions, is also preparing supporting facilities so that clean water supplies can be stored and used by residents. One example is the provision of water storage tanks at several affected locations. Assistance in the form of borehole well sets has also been received by affected residents.
Dody acknowledged that handling the drought disaster requires synergy among various relevant parties so that it can continue to run optimally and sustainably. The involvement of regional agencies, the TNI-Polri, Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi, PMI and businesses in the logistics cluster facilitates the handling of the disaster’s impact.
“The Bekasi Regency Government is also continuing to optimise river normalisation activities, cleaning and waste removal, controlling illegal structures along riverbanks, and coordinating with local officials to facilitate handling,” he said.