NTB Government Requests Central Aid for 106 Boreholes to Combat Drought
Mataram (ANTARA) - The provincial government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has requested central government assistance to build 106 boreholes to address drought disasters in the region.
Head of the NTB Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Sadimin, said the estimated cost of building one borehole ranges from Rp300 million to Rp350 million.
“That means the total budget needed for 106 points reaches around Rp31.8 billion,” he said after a Drought Coordination Meeting and Integration of Disaster Risk Assessment (KRB) into the Regional Development Planning Document, attended by BNPB head Suharyanto and NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal in Mataram on Friday.
According to him, that budget figure could rise if the drilling location has abundant water reserves requiring a larger distribution network installation. However, although the 106 points were proposed based on data on extremely poor villages, he noted that the actual needs in the field will be re-verified. This is because not all extremely poor villages lack water, and not all dry areas have groundwater reserves.
“Being extremely poor does not necessarily mean there is no water. Even if an area is not extremely poor, sometimes there is no water either,” Sadimin asserted.
Therefore, borehole construction is the top priority for handling the situation, rather than merely distributing water by tanker.
“Before a disaster occurs, for drought there is weather modification operations if rain clouds are still present. Then building boreholes for areas affected by drought, including support with water tanker trucks,” said Suharyanto.
He affirmed that his agency will immediately realise the proposed borehole construction. However, for areas proven to have no underground water reserves, emergency assistance will be managed using tanker trucks.
BNPB promised to coordinate promptly with affected residents to determine the exact drilling points.
“For the exact points, we will coordinate with the community, as the affected communities know best; afterwards we will follow up,” he said.