Central Java and Yogya face drought and crop failure

Suherdjoko and Slamet Susanto, Semarang/Yogyakarta

The dry season has started in Central Java and Yogyakarta, leading to critical water shortages and serious damage to rice crops, officials say.

According to the Central Java Agricultural Office, about 18 out of 35 regencies in Central Java are facing water shortages in the early stages of this year's dry season. The season, which started in April, is expected to last until September.

Data from the Central Java Water Resource Management Office (PSDA) says three of the 30 reservoirs in the area have completely dried up and 11 others are in critical condition.

Areas which are suffering from water shortages are the Cilacap, Purworejo, Kebumen, Sukoharjo, Karanganyar, Sragen, Wonogiri, Klaten, Brebes, Pemalang, Pekalongan, Semarang, Grobogan, Pati, Blora, Banyumas, Boyolali and Rembang regencies.

Food Crops Protection and Horticulture Agency head Suhargi Yantono said almost 13,000 hectares of rice fields in these areas were suffering the effects of drought, while 3,491 hectares of would likely suffer harvest failure.

The Wonogiri regency was the worst affected, with severe droughts affecting 2,180 hectares of land, followed by Klaten with 535 hectares, Sukoharjo with 387 hectares and Boyolali with 144 hectares.

"Severe water shortages in these areas usually happen in the dry season when rain-dependent rice fields in Wonogiri are the worst hit," Yantono said.

The administration this week set aside Rp 400 million (US$42,105) from the PSDA's budget for cloud-seeding. PSDA head Nidham Azhari said seeding was an effective way to minimize the effects of water shortages in the regions.

Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta provincial administration said it had prepared food reserves of 116 tons of rice using a local coordinating agency to anticipate the likely shortages caused by the drought.

"Rations are ready to be channeled at any time to areas that are in need," secretary Bambang Priyohadi said on Thursday.

The dry season used to be noticeable in June and peak in August, however, the irregular weather patterns of late had meant it would likely continue into September, Bambang said.

"Health problems caused by a lack of clean water, medical care and food scarcity will arise, as in previous droughts," he said.

The areas around Yogyakarta most prone to drought are the Gunungkidul and Kulonprogo regencies, with both experiencing serious problems in the past. Regional administrations have been supplying extra water to these areas for the past several weeks.

Data shows that 182 out of 260 artesian wells in Gunungkidul; an important source of water for locals; are running low or have dried up in the past month and many residents now have to buy their water.

Semanu district public welfare official Sumantri said four of the five villages in his district were now facing water shortages.

Residents had to pay Rp 70,000 for a tank of water, Sumantri said. "It depends on the distance. It could cost more than Rp 100,000 for a tanker truck to send water to a remote village," he said.