East Java DPRD Demands Permanent Solution to Drought in 19 Regencies/Cities

The East Java Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) is urging the Provincial Government to immediately formulate a permanent solution to overcome the clean water crisis hitting 19 regencies and cities in the region. This call comes alongside the declaration of a drought emergency status in the affected areas. Eddy Paripurna, a member of the PDIP faction in the East Java DPRD, stressed the need for concrete action given the threat of a strong El Niño phenomenon predicted to peak between August and September 2026. He argued that the current handling has been reactive and has not addressed the root of the problem. Eddy highlighted the conditions in Pasuruan Regency, where several villages in Lumbang District experience a water crisis annually. The chronically affected areas include Watulumbung, Karangjati, Cukur Guling, Pancur, and Bulukandang villages. The former Deputy Regent of Pasuruan believes the recurring problem demonstrates ineffective governance in handling the drought disaster by the local government. He criticised the approach of relying solely on distributing clean water via tankers, deeming it inadequate to face increasingly extreme climate change. He called for the state to intervene with policies that resolve the issue at its source, rather than merely ‘putting out fires’ during emergencies. He stated that the capacity of the district government has been exceeded, making direct intervention from the East Java Provincial Government essential.