Livestock sold for water in Gunungkidul

Livestock sold for water in Gunungkidul

Slamet Susanto and Nana Rukmana, Gunungkidul/Indramayu

Wintolo, 56, a resident of Kemiri subdistrict, Gunungkidul
regency, Yogyakarta, is confused. His family needs water to
drink, but the wells of the area have held hardly any water since
the dry season arrived a few months ago.

The water shortage has forced Wintolo to sell his goat five
days ago so he could buy water.

"It was only worth Rp 120,000 (US$13), because it was still
small," he said.

He used the money to buy a 5,000 liter tank of water, which
cost Rp 80,000. "I used the rest of the money to buy other basic
necessities," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The water would last one-and-half months, if the five members
of his family rationed it carefully, he said. "If the rains don't
come until mid-September, I will be forced to sell the one cow I
have left," said Wintolo.

Kasidi, 60, a resident of nearby Dadapayu subdistrict, was
also forced to sell his cattle to buy water. He said the regental
administration had been distributing water, but nearly all
villagers found it necessary to buy water because the water
supply was not consistent.

"We can't rely on the supply from the government. We have to
buy water when our supplies run low. We can't wait for them," he
said.

Wintolo and Kasidi are just two of the thousands of
Gunungkidul residents who are facing a shortage of food and
water.

The districts most severely hit are Tepus, Saptosari,
Girisubo, Panggang, Purwosari and Semanu.

Gunungkidul Regent Yoetikno said the administration had
allocated Rp 450 million (US$47,368) of the budget to cope with
the water crisis this year.

"Water will be supplied free to poor residents, as long as
they have official documentation from their villages showing that
they are underprivileged. We hope those who can afford it will
buy water," said Yoetikno.

The administration has deployed 15 tanker trucks, each of
which is capable of distributing water four times daily, he said.
"We are able to supply 60 tankers of water a day to the
villages," he said.

Dadapayu development office head Sunoto said almost the entire
population of the subdistrict had to buy water daily because of
the drought.

"Nearly all the wells in Gunungkidul regency are dry now.
Residents have to 'barter' their cattle or goats for water," he
said.

Separately, during an official visit to Pamayahan subdistrict
in Indramayu regency, West Java, on Tuesday, President Megawati
Soekarnoputri said some 8,000 subdistricts across the nation were
facing difficulties getting clean water, especially during the
dry season.

Deforestation is blamed for the lack of access to clean water,
said Megawati, who is inaugurating a Clean Water Processing Plant
in the area.

The facility is to be built in 1,500 other subdistricts
nationwide to help overcome their water shortages, said Soenarno,
the Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure.