BNPB completes clean water network restoration for Merapi eruption survivors

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNNP) has completed the recovery and repair project of the clean water network to meet the basic needs of residents surviving the cold lahar flows from Mount Merapi in Magelang Regency, Central Java.

BNPB Head Suharyanto stated in Jakarta on Friday that the completion of this vital infrastructure was marked by the inauguration of a clean water piping network spanning more as than 30 kilometres in Paten Village, Dukun District.

“Clean water is the source of life. Alhamdulillah, through strong collaboration, the clean water crisis for 4,000 households across seven villages has been resolved as of today,” he said.

Suharyanto explained that the accelerated repair of these life-supporting facilities is a follow-up to direct instructions from President Prabowo Subianto to ensure that emergency handling in the field is fast, safe, and precisely targeted.

The 33.3-kilometre pipeline infrastructure is projected to restore normal clean water supplies for approximately 4,010 households of survivors spread across seven affected villages.

The seven areas in Dukun District that now have fully restored access to clean water include residents in Sumber Village, Krinjing Village, Paten Village, Sengi Village, Keningar Village, Sewukan Village, and Wates Village.

To support the financing of the physical construction, the BNPB allocated a budget stimulus from the Ready-to-Use Fund (DSP) amounting to Rp3 billion, involving community participation and self-funded pipe installation by local residents.

“The construction of the piping network was carried out involving community participation through self-funded pipe installation, so that clean water distribution can immediately return to normal and be utilised by residents,” Suharyanto added.

The BNPB Directorate of Coordination of Operational Control previously reported that the damage to clean water facilities was triggered by cold lahar flood disasters caused by high rainfall intensity at the headwaters of Mount Merapi in March 2026, which washed volcanic materials such as sand, stones, and mud into river paths.

The disaster hit 11 villages in three districts—Dukun, Sawangan, and Mungkid—and resulted in damage to settlements, farmland, bridges, and mining vehicles, as well as causing five deaths.