DROUGHT-TRIGGERED WATER CRISES HIT JAVA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 11 (ANTARA) - The ongoing drought has been taking place for about two months and has created water crises in many parts of Java, Indonesia's most densely populated island, causing residents to consume dirty water or purchase costly clean water.          In East Java's Trenggalek and Kediri districts, thousands of residents are being affected by water crisis as a result of drought which threatens at least 81 villages in tens of sub--districts.          At least 5,000 local residents in Selopanggung, Semen sub-district, Kediri district, have to consume dirty water as the volumes of water from various sources in the Semen have continued to decline.         "We are forced to drain twice a day our water sources because what came out of them was dirty water mixed with mud," Selopanggung Village Head M Zairi. He said a number of water sources in his village had dried up.  There are only two, namely Sumberbetek and Njomboran water springs, which are still welling up but with muddy water.          Zairi said that the two water sources had to serve a total of 5,000 residents. Some have to use and consumed dirty water, he added.          Some villagers could still enjoy clean water which is provided by the Water Sanitation For Low Income Communities (WSLIC), but this communities program is not able to reach all residents.          Besides, the Clean Water Consumers Association (HIPPAM) also provided the locals with water supplies, yet the quality of this water is not so good or dirty, Zairi said.          Apart from residents in Kediri district, their neighbors in Trenggalek district also experienced the same crisis. Hundreds of families ran short of water in two villages of Ngrencak and Cakul  village.           "The two affected villages respectively are located in Panggul and Dongko sub-districts," Trenggalek Regional government spokesman Yoso Mihardi said. The regional government was informed of the water crisis when the village and subditrict heads file a request for clean water supplies.          The Trenggalek regional government has ordered the local water company (PDAM) to supply water to the affected residents.  "We have sent 81 tanks of clean water for the locals," Yoso said.          According to Dongko sub district head Hariyadi, at least 300 families are suffering from water crisis in Cakul village.  "Several waters sources there have dried up," said Hariyadi.          Based on data made available at Trenggalek regional government office, there are 81 villages in 11 sub-disricts which always face water crisis during the dry spells.          In Central Java, water crisis also hit thousands of residents, among others in the districts of Klaten, Tegal and Sleman.          Some 3,000 residents in Kalinyamat Kulon village, Margadana subdistrict, Tagal city  are also facing water scarcities for household needs such as for cooking, bathing and other needs.          "We all have to purchase water from residents who have artesian wells for cooking, washing and bathing. Some others still used wells which still had muddy water," Subroto, head of RT 08 RW 02 neighborhood of Kalinyamat village said.          He said that since the arrival of drought, the wells' water was smelly with brownish color like tea. If it was used for bathing, it created itches on the skin.          But for those who could not afford to buy water, they use it. Each family has to set aside some Rp10,000 to purchase water from other residents who had artesian wells.          "We have to set aside some Rp10,000 every day to buy water from neighbors who had artesian wells," Cayen (65) a resident of Kalimayat Kulon said.           In Klatan, another Central Java district, tens of thousands of residents, particularly those living in Kemalang sub-district, in the slope of Mt Merapi, Klaten, suffered from water crisis as water supplies from the regional government had stopped even before the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivities.         Kemalang district head Suradi said his side had not yet received water supplies from the district government since the Idul Fitri holiday.  "Maybe next week, the district government will sand water supply again," he said.          He said that some 35,153 residents living in the sub-district now depended on the remaining water provided by a private firm during the Lebaran (Idul Fitri) festivities. Yet this stocks of water could last only until three days to come.          "Thanks God, Water Company PT Aqua has also promised us to provide water. We hope it will send us water next  week,"  Suradi said.          In the meantime, head of the People's Welfare Affairs of Klaten Regional Government, Suwardi said his office had proposed a budget of Rp100 million for water crisis in the region but only Rp30 million was approved.          In Yoyakarta, the regional government of Gunung Kidul district has prepared additional funds amounting to Rp100 million to overcome water crisis in the region.         Secretary of Gunung Kidul's Social and Manpower Service Budi Santoso said the proposal for the additional funds had been approved. The total funds earmarked for this year's water crisis amounted to Rp497 million. .       A total of 6,000 customers of the local water company PDAM are no longer receiving water supplies in Sleman District now due to drought.          "The eruption of Mt Merapi sometime ago and the current drought severely affected the PDAM so that it was unable to provide water for 6,000 customers,"   PDAM director Suratno said.          Besides in  East and Central Java, water crisis is also affecting locals in West Java. Head of Sukabumi's Environment Office, Rudi Djuansyah said drought now had caused the water volumes of rivers and wells to drop drastically.         "The water volumes of 27 rivers that ran through Sukabumi areas dropped drastically by about 40 percent," Rudi. The volume of River Cimandiri water, for example, declined by 15 cubic meters per second.          The decline in the water volumes in Sukabumi had caused the drop of irrigation water for agriculture and fisheries. Fishery and agriculture production will be affected, Rudi said.          In the meantime, thousands of villagers in Pandeglang district, Banten province in the western part of Java isand, also faced water crisis.          "We have suffered from water crisis over the past month. The Cirigi and Cibaliung rivers have ran out of water," Chairman of Cikeusik village people association, Sumarna said.           He said that villagers obtained water by buying it from neighboring sub-district of Wassalam in Lebak district. They bought it at a price of Rp4,000 per 20 liters.***4*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/18:40/a014) 11-09-2011 20:29:5