Drought Threat: Public Works Ministry Secures Water for Rice Production
The threat of El Niño, which has the potential to trigger drought on Java, has prompted the government to prepare various strategies to maintain rice production. The Ministry of Public Works is accelerating the search for new water sources, including groundwater, and preparing weather modification operations to secure irrigation supplies for rice fields.
Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo stated that Java is receiving special attention because it is the nation’s rice granary. According to forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the impact of El Niño is expected to be most severe in West Java, Central Java, and East Java.
“Our anticipation of El Niño is focused on Java, because Java happens to be the national rice granary,” Dody said after inspecting the Integrated People’s School 1 in Sragen, Central Java, on Sunday, 26 July 2026.
According to Dody, the government began its preparations two to three months ago. One of the steps prepared is a weather modification operation should reservoir levels drop to a critical point. The artificial rain will be directed at areas surrounding the reservoirs so that the water flows into the dams and can be utilised for irrigation needs.
“If the reservoir dries up to a critical point, we usually cooperate with the BMKG to carry out weather modification operations in the area around the reservoir,” Dody said. He noted that directing rain to fall directly over a reservoir is difficult due to uncontrollable weather factors. Therefore, the government targets the surrounding areas to ensure the water flow still reaches the storage sources.
In addition to relying on weather engineering, the Ministry of Public Works is also increasing drilling activities to find groundwater sources. This search is being conducted especially in regions where surface water sources have begun to diminish due to the dry season.
Dody said the government is cooperating with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to use isotope technology to detect underground water sources. This technology is used to search for potential underground rivers, which are commonly found in areas with limestone characteristics. “Our country has a lot of limestone. There are usually many underground rivers beneath it,” he said.
He added that the use of groundwater search technology is part of President Prabowo’s directive for the government to use innovation to support food security. Once a water source is found, the government will construct boreholes to channel the water to nearby agricultural land.
“We are pursuing as many underground water sources as possible, then we will make as many boreholes as possible to channel it to the nearest rice fields,” Dody said.
He stated that the government wants to maintain farmer productivity so that it does not decline despite facing drought conditions. This effort is expected to support the target of achieving food self-sufficiency by 2026-2027. “We must maintain farmer productivity so that it does not drop at all, even in drought conditions like now,” he said.
Dody added that the government continues to monitor weather developments because various regions in Indonesia are experiencing different conditions. Papua and West Sumatra, for example, are still facing floods, while Java is predicted to experience greater drought pressure. Therefore, the government is focusing on securing water supplies in Java to ensure the continuity of national rice production. “It also happens to be the national rice granary, so we are focusing there,” Dody said.