East Java BPBD: 815 villages at risk of drought due to Godzilla El Niño

Surabaya (ANTARA) - The East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jatim) states that 815 villages in the province are at risk of experiencing drought due to the extreme El Niño phenomenon, often referred to as Godzilla El Niño.

The Head of BPBD East Java, Gatot Soebroto, in Surabaya on Tuesday, said that these 815 villages are spread across 222 sub-districts in 26 regencies that are potentially affected by the clean water crisis.

“The provincial government has increased its vigilance in facing the dry season, which is predicted to be hotter and last longer than in previous years,” he said.

“This year’s El Niño phenomenon is predicted to be stronger or more extreme. Its impact will be higher temperatures and a longer dry period. This certainly has the potential to increase the risk of drought in several regions,” Gatot stated.

He explained that the hundreds of villages threatened by drought are mostly located in areas with high vulnerability to water crises, particularly regions that have relied on rainwater sources and have limited clean water infrastructure.

“This condition makes the communities in those areas very vulnerable when the dry season arrives longer than usual,” he said.

As a precautionary measure, BPBD East Java, along with several related regional apparatus organisations (OPD), is preparing various mitigation strategies.

One of them is to hold an inter-sectoral coordination meeting in the near future, which will be directly led by the Governor of East Java. The coordination meeting aims to ensure the readiness of all parties in facing the potential drought disaster.

“We are conducting a coordination meeting with all relevant stakeholders, including regency or city governments, to compile concrete steps in dealing with the drought. This is important so that handling can be carried out quickly and on target,” he said.

In addition, he said, efforts to provide clean water are the main focus in facing the upcoming dry season. BPBD East Java has prepared a scheme for distributing clean water to affected areas, including sending aid water using tanker trucks.

“Clean water distribution will be our top priority. We must not let the public have difficulty obtaining water for daily needs. We will also map which areas need immediate handling,” he stated.