BNPB Ensures Drought-Hit Regions in Java Receive Water Aid

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has ensured that all areas affected by drought on the island of Java have begun receiving daily clean water supplies distributed periodically by their respective regional task forces.

Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB’s Data, Information, and Communication Centre for Disasters, stated in Jakarta on Friday that the deployment of water aid is intended to guarantee the basic domestic needs of residents during the dry season. “The BNPB ensures that drought-affected areas receive clean water aid distributed by their respective regional task forces, including through rapid response in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Central Java, and East Java,” he said.

He explained that in Gunungkidul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, a joint task force has so far distributed 16 tanker trucks of clean water to 67 affected families in Semugih Village, Rongkop District. To strengthen the management of the water crisis in the area, the Gunungkidul Regency Government has also issued Regent’s Decree Number 154/KPTS/2026 establishing a drought emergency alert status from 1 June to 31 August 2026.

In Central Java, personnel from the Semarang Regency Disaster Management Agency responded to the urgent conditions by sending clean water, with a capacity of 5,000 litres per tanker, to the hamlets of Krajan and Mungkruk.

In East Java Province, drought response is reportedly underway intensively in Jember Regency after 125 families in Bunder Hamlet, Sumberpinang Village, Pakusari District, experienced difficulty accessing clean water since Wednesday (1/7). He explained that the water crisis in Jember occurred due to the depletion of residents’ wells and the suboptimal use of a nearby borehole well, which is hindered by the absence of a pipeline network and an electricity meter installation to the local settlement.

In response to these infrastructure constraints, the Jember Regional Disaster Management Agency, together with the Indonesian Red Cross, distributed emergency aid including dozens of jerry cans, water storage tanks, and a supply of 9,000 litres of clean water to the local residents. “The nearest water source, a borehole well located about 600 metres from the settlement, cannot yet be utilised because an electricity meter and pipeline network are not yet available. We have distributed jerry cans, water tanks, and 9,000 litres of clean water to the residents,” he said.