Serious drought in NTT

The serious drought in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has been evident for quite some time. The meteorological office in Kupang, however, stated a few weeks ago in Pos Kupang that the current rainy season was quite normal. The water supply in Kupang from the regional water company (PDAM) itself has been in crisis for several years mainly because of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) and total mismanagement of the sector; the situation now is of course made worse by the drought.

Restructuring of the agricultural sector is a must! Irrigation is a partial answer to a relative few, mainly coastal, areas. In the uplands where many subsistence farmers live, the introduction to alternative land use, which has been investigated, studied and researched for many years should be implemented. Of course NTT is far from Jakarta and has little economic importance and influence because of its meager resources.

ZAFAR YOUNG, Singapore