Semarang City Government Prepares One Million Litres of Water to Anticipate Drought

Semarang (ANTARA) - The Semarang City Government is preparing a reserve of clean water amounting to one million litres for distribution to drought-affected areas in the face of potential impacts from a prolonged dry season due to the El Nino phenomenon. Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti in Semarang on Thursday stated that cross-agency collaboration will be undertaken, including with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM). “Hopefully, as soon as we hear of a water shortage, we can prepare the water,” she said. This preparedness is part of drought disaster mitigation in Semarang City, which is estimated to peak until September 2026. She asked the public to increase vigilance against increasingly unpredictable weather changes. Therefore, she said, the public needs to be more aware of potential risks, including the danger of fires due to dry leaves and strong winds that can accelerate the spread of flames. “So the public must be ‘aware’. Even though sometimes people assume this is unpredictable weather, but it’s clear that we must take care,” she said. Semarang City, which has a combination of hilly areas, valleys, rivers, and coastal seas, is said to further increase disaster risk potential if not anticipated properly. Meanwhile, the Head of Semarang City BPBD, Endro Pudyo Martantono, stated that the weather pattern in 2026 is expected to be more extreme compared to the previous year. “If we compare it to 2025, 2026 will be relatively phenomenal. This is hot weather, then suddenly in the afternoon or evening, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds,” he said. Based on notifications from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), it is stated that the start of the dry season is estimated to occur in May, although until April there is still potential for rain and strong winds. As a concrete step, the Semarang City BPBD has prepared a reserve of clean water amounting to one million litres that will be distributed according to requests from residents in affected areas. “Whenever there is a request from residents, wherever it is, we will send it according to the residents’ requests,” he concluded.