Thousands of Litres of Water Supplied to Counter Drought in West and Central Java

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that thousands of litres of clean water are being distributed to a number of villages in Central Java and West Java that are beginning to feel the impact of drought during the transition phase of the dry season. Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Communication Centre, stated in Jakarta on Thursday that the delivery of clean water supplies is focused on Cilacap Regency in Central Java, and Bogor and Bekasi Regencies in West Java. “The dry season now occurring in these regions has caused water discharge from natural sources to decline and is no longer meeting the daily needs of the community,” he said. Abdul explained that one of the largest logistical water deliveries was directed to Nagasari Village in Serang Baru District, Bekasi Regency, which reportedly received no rainfall at all over the past month. In this downstream area of Bekasi Regency, the local Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has distributed at least 10,000 litres of clean water to meet the domestic needs of 30 affected families. Meanwhile, thousands more litres of water were channelled by the Bogor Regency BPBD following a reduction in the flow of surface water springs in upstream areas commonly relied upon by local residents. Abdul noted that in Bogor Regency, a fleet of tanker trucks has distributed 5,000 litres of clean water in stages to at least 127 families in the Gunung Sari Village area, Citeureup District. Responding to these events, the BNPB is urging the public and local governments to implement mitigation measures. According to Abdul, these include constructing infiltration wells and preparing adequate water reservoirs as a reserve of clean water. In addition, communities can also harvest rainwater by preparing drums or collection containers for daily use. “Conserving and using water wisely according to needs,” he said. This drought is consistent with the latest data update from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which reported that as of the end of May 2026, the expansion of dry areas began in 200 seasonal zones (11.83 percent of the country), identified through brownish colouring on the national climate distribution map. The movement of these dry zones is projected to surge drastically this month, entering 198 new seasonal zones, equivalent to 31.6 percent of the land area, covering southern parts of DKI Jakarta, portions of Java, and a large part of Kalimantan. Entering July, the dry season will spread to another 66 seasonal zones encompassing western Jambi, East Kalimantan, eastern South Kalimantan, most of Sulawesi, and North Maluku. In contrast, BMKG has detected local anomalies due to broad topographic effects in seven seasonal zones (0.68 percent of the land area) which are actually above normal or wetter, specifically in Bengkulu, northern and southern Gorontalo, and a small part of East Nusa Tenggara.