Drought Spreads in Jembrana, Residents Resort to River Water for Clean Water Needs
The impact of a long drought has triggered an increasingly widespread clean water crisis in Jembrana Regency, Bali. Residents in several areas have been forced to utilise river water for their daily needs as local water sources have begun to dry up.
Ni Luh Mariasih (48), a resident of Pangkung Gayung, Baler Bale Agung, Negara District, revealed that this distressing situation has persisted for over a month. “For washing and bathing, we go to the river, and we carry the water home for the children’s morning baths before school,” Mariasih told reporters on Friday (2/10/2026).
Mariasih expressed concern as the river’s water volume is also steadily decreasing. “The water level has shrunk. If the river runs dry, we will be left helpless,” she added.
Responding to the spreading crisis, the Jembrana Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has distributed a total of 532,200 litres of clean water to 1,048 affected families. From Thursday (16/7/2026) to Friday (2/10/2026), officers have carried out 119 separate distributions.
The Head of BPBD Jembrana, I Putu Agus Artana Putra, explained that water supplies are sent directly to residential areas, educational facilities, and places of worship based on reports from residents.
To facilitate water collection, the BPBD has installed 18 water tank units. However, due to the limited availability of commercial tanks in the field, officers have had to innovate to ensure that water from the tanker trucks is not wasted. “Because the availability of water containers like tanks is very limited, we have created emergency collection points using tarpaulins at several locations. The important thing is that the distributed water can be collected and utilised by the residents,” explained Artuna.
In addition to residential areas, several public facilities have also received clean water supplies, including SMPN 3 Melaya, SDN 6 Pendem, SDN 2 Pendem, SDN 5 Berangbang, SDN 2 Dauhwaru, and the Pura Puseh Taman Sari temple in Tukadaya Village.
Most recently, on Friday (2/10/2026), the BPBD distributed 5,000 litres of clean water each to Banjar Sekar Kejula (Mendoyo) and Banjar Pengajaran (Negara).
The BPBD warned that the threat of drought is predicted to continue as the dry season has not yet ended. “This clean water crisis has the potential to expand further, especially since the dry season is predicted to persist until this coming December,” Artana emphasised.
To anticipate this, BPBD Jembrana has placed its fleet and personnel on full alert. “We urge residents who are beginning to face clean water difficulties to report immediately to the relevant authorities and to use the provided water supplies wisely,” concluded Artana.