Cloud seeding expected to end drought

Cloud seeding expected to end drought

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Cloud seeding being planned by the government is expected to
overcome the devastating drought on Java, a governor has said.

Following a request from the governors of Central Java and
West Java to delay cloud seeding in their jurisdictions, East
Java Governor Imam Utomo said his administration was in dire need
of the project to relieve drought conditions in at least 15
regencies.

"The East Java administration has coordinated with the central
government to undertake cloud seeding as this year's dry season
will last longer and likely affect the rice harvest here," he
said in Surabaya on Monday.

He said Central Java and West Java were given top priority in
the cloud seeding program because drought conditions in the two
provinces were worse than in East Java.

"We hope cloud seeding in Central Java will be able to raise
the water level of the Gajah Mungkur reservoir in Wonogiri and
the Bengawan Solo river," he said.

"If the water level of the Bengawan Solo river increases, it
will also affect the irrigation systems in East Java," he added.

Head of the East Java agriculture office M. Maksum said
drought conditions were prevailing in the regencies of Lamongan,
Ngawi, Jombang, Bojonegoro, Mojokerto, Magetan, Sumenep,
Tulungagung, Trenggalek, Gresik, Tuban, Jember, Madiun, Ponorogo
and Bondowoso.

Some of the regencies have access to the Bengawan Solo river.

About 6,000 hectares of farmland, mostly rice fields, have
been affected, with production dropping to between 25 percent and
50 percent, Maksum said, adding that the prolonged drought could
threaten this year's harvest target of 5.7 million tons.

In another bid to tackle the water crisis in East Java,
Central Java and West Java, the local provincial administrations
will continue to provide water pumps to farmers and other
community members in need.

In Central Java, the drought has severely affected the
southern parts of the province, where about 90,000 hectares of
farmland and thousands of wells have dried up, forcing tens of
thousands of locals to suffer the effects of a clean water
shortage.

Among the worst-hit towns are Kebumen, Banyumas, Purbaelingga
and Cilacap. Thousands of farmers there have not had a harvest.

"We should have been harvesting our crops by now, but because
of the lack of water, all our plants died," Abu Khoiri, a
47-year-old farmer in Kedung Pring village, Banyumas, told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said that under normal circumstances one hectare of
farmland produced three tons of rice, but so far it has yielded
only 100 kilograms.

"We badly need water pumps to get water from the river, but
there are no funds (for this)," Khoiri added.

The Banyumas administration, meanwhile, received a donation of
27 water pumps from the Japanese government to be distributed
among farmers.

"We need at least 35 water pumps. However, this assistance
will significantly help meet the demand," the head of the
province's agriculture office, Joko Wikanto told the Post on
Tuesday.