Cipedak Area in South Jakarta Prone to Drought, Will the 2023 Extreme Drought Recur?

JAKARTA - The threat of drought is once again looming over the Cipedak area in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta. The government is reflecting on the extreme events of 2023, when several neighbourhoods in the area experienced a clean water crisis. Head of the Data and Information Centre of the DKI Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Mohammad Yohan, stated that the drought phenomenon in South Jakarta often raises questions, given that the area is known as a waterway from upstream to downstream. According to him, the drought is not solely due to water distribution issues but also natural factors, particularly the loss of raw groundwater sources. “When the raw groundwater source is depleted, it leads to drought, resulting in a shortage of clean water. This is occurring in Cipedak Village, Jagakarsa,” he said. Yohan revealed that the period from 2023 to 2024 has been the most impactful phase. At that time, drought struck several points in Cipedak. The affected areas are in one RW covering three RTs, namely RT 14, RT 1, and RT 13. Additionally, the Renek Agung area also experienced similar conditions, specifically in RW 8 covering RT 3, RT 4, and RT 7. Furthermore, Yohan explained that geological conditions are the main cause of the difficulty for residents in obtaining clean water, especially during the dry season. The soil layers in the area make the water sources lie far below the surface, even beneath rock layers. “When the water is lower than the rock layer mentioned earlier, it automatically becomes difficult to obtain clean water, especially during the dry season when the water supply decreases,” he clarified. “During that incident, we supplied water using tanker trucks from PAM to the location,” said Yohan. However, he emphasised that this measure is not a long-term solution. BPBD is encouraging the provision of water tanks as reserves in drought-prone areas. “There should be water tanks, so residents are not only able to get water when tanker trucks arrive. Tanks can be used to supply water to the area,” he stated. According to Yohan, providing water tanks is an important step to ensure residents do not fully rely on emergency distributions, especially when the dry season returns.