Sumenep Regency Government Declares Drought Alert Status

The Sumenep Regency Government in East Java has declared a drought disaster alert status following widespread water shortages during the current dry season. Sumenep Regent Achmad Fauzi Wongsojudo stated on Saturday that the alert status was established to accelerate handling, particularly regarding the clean water needs of residents in affected villages. “The determination of this drought status is also an initial step so that handling can be carried out quickly by relevant agencies,” he said. The alert status is stipulated in Sumenep Regent Decree Number: 100.3.3.2/185/KEP/013/2026 and is valid for the next six months, depending on conditions on the ground. One of the priorities prepared is the distribution of clean water to communities experiencing difficulties in obtaining water supplies. The regent also confirmed he has instructed all village heads to be more responsive in monitoring conditions in their respective areas. Village governments are asked to report immediately if drought begins to occur, whether impacting clean water needs or the agricultural sector. “With the determination of this status, we also ask village heads to be quicker in submitting reports if there are villages experiencing drought and residents living in those villages having difficulty obtaining clean water,” he said. The regent further explained that the emergency alert status is a follow-up to the dry season forecast from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and a Circular Letter from the Regional Secretary of East Java Province regarding vigilance in facing the 2026 dry season. Based on the appendix to the regent’s decree, at least 76 villages in 19 sub-districts have been mapped as potentially experiencing drought with categories of critical dry, rare, limited rare dry, and critical rare dry.