Ciamis Declares Three-Month Drought Emergency Status

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has stated that the Ciamis Regency Government in West Java has officially declared a drought emergency status for three months, lasting until September 2026. Head of the BNPB Data, Information, and Communication Centre, Abdul Muhari, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the Ciamis Regency Government established the emergency alert status from Tuesday, 1 July, to Wednesday, 30 September. He stated that this step was taken to strengthen emergency response and preparedness swiftly. The BNPB Directorate of Operations Control Coordination confirmed that Kawasen Village in Banjarsari District is one of the areas reported to be experiencing a shortage of clean water in Ciamis Regency. The impact of the dwindling water sources in the village has reportedly affected at least 123 families, encompassing a total of 310 local residents. The distribution of clean water supplies is prioritised to meet the community’s basic daily needs, such as drinking water, cooking, and family sanitation. Ciamis is the fourth region, after Tasikmalaya, Cirebon, and Bekasi Regencies, to announce drought and clean water shortages in West Java from mid-June to early July. The West Java Provincial Government had previously established this drought emergency status to minimise the regional impacts of the dry season on public health and agricultural and plantation productivity. This policy aligns with recommendations from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which urged local governments to take tactical steps to address the threat of drought this dry season, worsened by the El Niño climate phenomenon. Based on updated BMKG data as of the end of May 2026, the expansion of drought areas began in 200 seasonal zones (11.83 percent of the land area). The movement of these dry zones increased drastically in June, entering 198 new seasonal zones, equivalent to 31.6 percent of the land area, covering the DKI Jakarta area and its surroundings to most of Kalimantan Island. Entering July, the dry season will further expand into 66 other seasonal zones, including western Jambi, most of northern and southern Java, East Kalimantan, eastern South Kalimantan, most of Sulawesi, and North Maluku.