Drought hits Gunungkidul

YOGYAKARTA: With the rainy season still at least four months away, the southern part of Gunungkidul regency, about 60 kilometers east of here, is already suffering from drought.

Almost all of the regency's 50 lagoons, which are used to hold rain water during the dry season, are already dry, spokesman for the regency administration, Basuki Rochim, said.

Drought is a serious problem in the southern subdistricts of the barren regency and in the past the government has sent trucks of drinking water to the stricken areas during the dry season.

Basuki said that the drought about 100,000 people were currently affected by the drought. He said that the local administration had prepared 10 trucks to carry water to affected villages.

In times of water crisis residents have to buy drinking water for Rp 1 per liter, Antara reported. (pan)