Drought Impact in 9 Cianjur Districts Potentially Widening

The impact of the drought caused by the prolonged dry season in Cianjur Regency, West Java, could spread to nine districts, the majority of which are located in the south.

Samudra Wira Purnama, Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Cianjur Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said the agency has received reports on the effects of the long dry season from various areas. In most cases, the impact has taken the form of a clean water crisis, as bore wells at residents’ homes have begun to run dry.

“From preliminary reports, there are nine districts that have already reported being affected by the drought, and the impact could spread further,” Samudra said on Friday (24 July).

The nine districts include Cikalongkulon, Naringgul, Pagelaran, Cibinong, Kadupandak, Cidaun, Cianjur and Agrabinta. Samudra confirmed that the drought’s impact is still categorised as vulnerable. “So the conditions have not yet been categorised as extreme,” he said.

At present, Samudra said, residents are relying on water supplies from river flows, although the volume of water available is quite limited.

“We are making every effort to ensure that residents in affected areas can receive clean water assistance,” he said.

So far, BPBD, coordinating with relevant agencies, has begun distributing clean water assistance, including in Gayam village in Muka, Cianjur district, as well as in Sukajadi and Pamoyanan villages in Cibinong district.

“We will distribute clean water assistance whenever there is a request through the local government apparatus. We are coordinating with the regional water utility (Perumdam Tirta Mukti) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI),” he said.

Samudra noted that, in addition to requests for water distribution, local governments have also asked for long-term solutions. They have requested that artesian wells or pipeline networks be built in their areas to make it easier to access water sources.

“So that when a drought like the current one occurs, communities will not face too much difficulty. We will coordinate with the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (Dinas PUTR) as well as BPBD West Java. We will also carry out assessments to monitor conditions on the ground, including an assessment of the use of the Cileungsir spring in Ciramagirang village, Cikalongkulon district,” he concluded.