Drought and Clean Water Crisis Spreads to 10 Districts in West Java
The drought and clean water crisis in West Java continues to spread. As of Monday (20/7), the West Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) recorded that the impact of the dry season has occurred in 10 regencies out of a total of 27 regencies and cities.
“The drought and clean water crisis has so far affected 79 villages across 46 districts. The total number of people affected has reached 130,014,” said BPBD West Java spokesperson Hadi Rahmat.
To date, he continued, BPBD in the affected areas has distributed 1,767,000 litres of clean water. This figure is expected to keep rising, as the dry season still has a long way to go.
The 10 regions experiencing drought and clean water shortages are Bogor Regency, Bekasi Regency, Tasikmalaya Regency, Pangandaran, Karawang, Cianjur, Purwakarta, Bogor City, Sukabumi City and Garut Regency.
In Bogor Regency, drought and clean water shortages have occurred in 42 villages across 19 districts, in Bekasi in 9 villages across 4 districts, Tasikmalaya 7 villages across 6 districts, Pangandaran in 6 villages across 6 districts, and in Karawang in 5 villages across 2 districts.
Meanwhile in Cianjur, the drought has spread to 3 villages across 2 districts, Purwakarta 2 villages across 2 districts, Bogor City in 2 villages across 2 districts, Sukabumi in 2 villages across 2 districts, and Garut in one village in one district.
BPBD West Java has called on residents to conserve water during this dry season. Among other measures, this includes always turning off taps when not in use, promptly repairing leaking pipes or taps, and using a bucket rather than a hose when washing vehicles.
In addition, BPBD has asked residents to reuse water from washing fruit or vegetables to water plants, and to use low-flow showers when bathing.
The ongoing dry season has left many residents in remote areas short of clean water because their wells, dug 20 to 25 metres deep, have run dry.
The impact of the drought on paddy fields in the region has been caused by a drastic drop in the water flow of the main Cisuru dam.
BPBD Purbalingga has recorded 10 villages across six districts affected by drought. The distribution of clean water has been focused on the worst-hit areas and post-disaster recovery.
The geographical conditions of East Luwu Regency, dominated by mountainous and hilly terrain, make the area prone to various types of disasters.
As of Monday (20/7), BPBD Banjar has distributed clean water aid to 22 villages across nine districts, totalling 492,550 litres.
An earthquake shook parts of Sukabumi Regency, West Java, on Sunday (19/7) at around 15.11 Western Indonesian Time. There have been no reports of damage caused by the earthquake.
In Caringin hamlet, a number of residents’ wells have been found to have dried up. This has affected residents’ daily activities, particularly access to clean water.
The effects of the dry season, which has occurred from April to July 2026, are starting to be felt by residents as their wells have run dry and water has become scarce.
The dry season has triggered a water crisis as many residents’ wells have shrunk.
The Tangerang Regency BPBD reported positive progress in extinguishing the Jatiwaringin landfill fire, which is now 30 per cent contained. Officers are focused on releasing methane gas.