GOVERNMENT BRACING FOR DROUGHT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 15 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is bracing for a severe drought, as the natural disaster has began to impact several regions, particularly Central Java, described by its governor as having entered the emergency zone.         Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo stated that his province had been categorized as being in the drought disaster zone in the current dry season. "Almost 22 districts are now experiencing drought," Pranowo said, after opening an exhibition themed 'Creativity and Innovation of Central Java', which is being held in the city of Pekalongan, Friday.         To overcome the problem of water shortage for the community, since June 2017, the provincial government has been conducting coordination meetings with several related elements to discuss the drought.         At the coordination meeting, it has been decided to prepare the distribution of water by channeling it through the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the company and the local government.         In the face of the drought in several regions of the country, the central government has outlined precautionary measures to handle it in some regions in Indonesia, according to the instructions given by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

INDONESIAN DROUGHT WILL NOT CAUSE RICE SHORTAGE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 3 (Antara) - The ongoing drought affecting various parts of Indonesia will not cause shortage of rice this year as the government has taken anticipatory steps to reduce its impacts on rice fields.         Indonesia has set its rice production target for 2015 at 46.14 million tons while its annual rice requirement is only about 28.5 million tons.         The Ministry of Agriculture has forecast that it will reduce the impact of drought on rice farms from 200 thousand hectares in 2014 to 100 thousand hectares this year.     Hence, based on the five-ton rice production in every hectare of land, the drought this year will reduce rice production by only five thousand tons of the targeted 46.14 million tons.        Of the 8.61 million hectares of rice fields in Indonesia, about 3.3 million hectares of rain-fed rice fields are prone to drought.          However, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has made assurance that the current drought will not affect the rice production, which will remain adequate. The government has even managed to successfully save Rp2 trillion worth of rice this year until July this year.

GOVERNMENT GEARS UP TO FACE DROUGHT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 29 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is preparing itself to face the drought that has been forecast to last till October or November this year and may affect 3.3 million hectares of rice fields in the country.         since last month, several provinces in Indonesia have been hit by a dry spell, which was triggered by a moderate El Nino phenomenon. It has caused a shortage of water supply and affected rice fields and irrigation in these regions.         "We held a lengthy discussion with the agriculture minister (Andi Amran Sulaiman) this morning. I asked him to be prepared for three scenarios," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in Jakarta on Tuesday (July 28).          Measures, including providing funds, will be taken to alleviate people's burden that may result from either the worst, medium or minor impacts of the drought.     "We will inspect the extent of the impact the drought may have, if triggered by a moderate El Nino. We will find solutions," Kalla affirmed.         In addition, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing will check the irrigation system in the country to see whether the supply of water is still running well. If not, the government will use water pumps to overcome the problem.

DAMS TO RESOLVE WATER PROBLEMS IN EAST NUSA TENGGARA

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 29 (Antara) -- Several provinces in Indonesia are currently experiencing drought, which leads to water crisis and affects plantations, food crops and rice fields.          The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has predicted that the dry season this year will last till October or November.          The provinces feeling the impacts of the dry season are East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka-Belitung, Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku.          However, NTT is lucky with regard to this water crisis, as a number of reservoirs will be built to help hold water in the region during the rainy season and supply it to the people during the dry spell.          One of these reservoirs is the Raknamo Reservoir, some 35 kilometers east of Kupang city. It is to supply standard water to urban areas and to irrigate around 841 hectares of farmlands in the district of Kupang.          "NTT has considerable water problems," President Joko Widodo said while inspecting the development of the Raknamo Reservoir, which is being constructed in Amabi Oefeto, Kupang district, on Saturday (July 25).          The Raknamo Reservoir is one of the seven dams to be built by the government in this region.

DROUGHT HITS VARIOUS REGIONS OF INDONESIA

by Andi Abdussalam           Jakarta, June 30 (Antara) -- The annual dry spell, which often wreaks havoc on the country's crops, has begun to affect several regions in Indonesia once again.          Droughts related to the El Niño have reduced the average rainfall to below 100 millimeters per month and to less than 50 millimeters in a number of provinces.          "In the provinces of East Java, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and West Nusa Tenggara, rainfall is less than 50 millimeters per month," Head of the Information Center and Public Relations and Spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Monday.          He added that regions in the provinces of Java, Bali, NTB, NTT, southern parts of Papua and Maluku, and a few areas in South Sulawesi were hit by the dry spell.          "Droughts have also affected areas in Purbalingga, Gunungkidul, Wonogiri, Tuban, Bojonegoro, Boyolali, Lombok Utara, and NTT," he stated, adding that the same dry spell had hit most parts of Sumatra, as well.

SOME PARTS OF INDONESIA FACE WATER CRISIS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 23 (Antara) -  Residents of some regions and provinces in Indonesia have begun to face water crisis as the water volumes of springs, wells, rivers and lakes began to decline as a result of drought.          The volume of the Cisadane River in Tangerang for example, has begun to drop drastically in the past few days.         "The condition of the Cisadane River's water volume is categorically critical, though it still looks normal. Yet, its volume continues to decline," Sumarto, the head of Tangerang's Bendung Sluice 10 of the Cisadane River, noted on Monday.          The Cisadane River is one of the main sources of water for industries and water companies which distribute water to consumers in Tangerang, Banten province.          Provinces which have been affected by water crisis as a result of drought this year included South Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Central Java and West Sumatra. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), twenty provinces in Indonesia have been affected by the drought due to the current dry season and low rainfall.          To deal with the situation, the BNPB has allocated Rp50 billion for relief operations in the regions affected by drought, including providing water tanks and pumps as short-term measures, BNPB spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

GOVT MAKING EFFORTS TO OVERCOME DROUGHT IMPACT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 6 (ANTARA) - It is currently estimated that the drought, which has hit nine provinces in Indonesia, will affect at least 127,000 hectares of rice fields, of which around 3,000 hectares have failed to produce a harvest this year.          However, on a national scale, the impact of the drought on the country¿s total rice production has been relatively insignificant because the affected 127,000 hectares of rice fields only account for around 1.2 percent of the country's total crop fields, which cover around 13 million hectares and on an average have an annual production of around 38 million tons.          But farmers, whose crop has been affected by the drought, stand to incur great losses. As a result, the government plans to make certain efforts to help reduce the impact of the drought and relieve the farmers of their burden.          The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture has set aside a fund of Rp199 billion, which will be distributed directly to the farmers whose rice fields have failed to produce a harvest on account of the dry spell.          Agriculture Minister Suswono stated that the funds will be handed over directly to farmer groups to prevent illegal cuts and levies.          "We plan to provide aid of up to Rp3.7 million per hectare of rice field for farm cultivation and fertilizers that will help in preventing harvest failures," Suswono said on Wednesday.          He also pointed out that the Rp199 billion in funds is expected to cover at least the losses of farmers who own the drought-affected 65,000 hectares of rice fields.          Suswono's deputy minister also agreed. "The funds will be distributed as compensation to the farmers who have been severely affected by the drought and this will give them a chance to cultivate their land again," Deputy Minister for Agriculture Rusman Heryawan stated after attending an event to mark a rice harvest in the Bantul district of Yogyakarta on Wednesday.          He added that the amount of compensation can be raised if necessary, as this is an urgent matter.          "The funds will be provided directly to the farmers, but a team will first verify the extent of crop damage, which should be at least 75 percent or more if a farmer has to qualify for compensation," the deputy minister noted.          Heryawan said that based on the latest data received, a total of 125,000 hectares of rice fields are currently facing harvesting failure, locally known as 'puso,' and the government will make the necessary efforts to prevent this.          "Drought has affected the productivity of over 125,000 hectares of land, mostly in Java," he said.          Heryawan stated that at least 3,000 hectares of rice fields in West Java have been declared `puso,¿ and in order to prevent this from happening in other agricultural lands, the Ministry of Agriculture has formed a team, which will be in charge of monitoring drought affected areas so that the government can take the required remedial steps when needed.          The drought-hit nine provinces include Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West  Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Papua.          As these regions are repeatedly hit by drought every year, the government is making special efforts this year to mitigate the impact of the drought on harvesting, compared with previous years.          Besides providing compensation to farmers, the government is also provisioning water tanks, water pumps, water wells and artificial rain for them to help cope with the shortage in water supplies for both irrigation and human consumption.          The government is also working on a plan that will help overcome the annual drought impact in the years to come. Minister Suswono pointed out that the government has allocated Rp3 trillion towards repairing irrigation facilities across the country by 2014, given that around 52 percent of irrigation facilities in Indonesia do not function properly.          However, a total of Rp21 trillion is needed by the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Agriculture to fix the irrigation system nationwide, he added.          The government has planned to develop and implement programmes that will minimize the impact of the drought on the nation¿s agricultural land.          "We will also prepare a list of the areas affected by the drought, so that we can take preventive measures to save those fields," Suswono added.          The government has been praised for its prompt action in mitigating the impact of the current dry spell. "The attention shown by the Agriculture Ministry deserves high appreciation," Leta Rafael Levis, an agribusiness observer from the University of Nusa Cendana in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) stated on Thursday.          He noted that the government took speedy action through two institutions, namely the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Disaster Controlling Agency (BNPB).          The BNPB has already concluded an intensive action plan to deal with the drought, by giving priority to nine provinces, which include Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Papua.          Levis, who also teaches at the Nusa Cendana University, pointed out that the government can provide additional water supplies through water tanks, water pumps, water wells, artificial rain and through the construction of reservoirs and by distributing water on a rotational basis.          He noted that the government needs to construct at least 1,500 reservoirs along the upstream and downstream river basin areas. A labor intensive system, it will involve the local people, the BNPB, agricultural services and the public works services.          Levis stated that even though the actions taken by the government are only aimed at coping with the effects of the drought, rather than prevent the impact of the annual dry spell, the government still deserves appreciation.          He also warned that shortages in fresh water supplies will be a problem worldwide in this century and that by 2050, at least two third of the world's population will face water shortages.          Since 1995, the provinces of Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara have suffered from a deficit in water supply every year owing to the dry season, Levis said.          These provinces face a water deficit during seven months of the dry season and a surplus is only seen during the remaining five months of the rainy season, he added. ***2*** (T.A014/INE/KR-BSR/B003) 06-09-2012 18:11:5

DROUGHT FORCES VILLAGERS TO DRAW WATER FROM MUD PUDDLES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 25 (ANTARA) - It might sound too sarcastic to say that the on-going drought has forced locals to consume dirty, foul-smelling water from mud holes, but this is the reality for hundreds of residents of a West Java village.          Since early this month, hundreds of residents of Argasunya village, Harjamukti sub-district, Cirebon district, West Java, have been forced to draw water from puddles in the Kalijaga River, which is drying up.          Residents of the village have had to consume muddy water because the water supply from the regional government's tap water company PDAM has not yet reached them.          The river, which has serves as a water source for villagers during the rainy season, is now dry, without even a stream.          "The PDAM facility has not yet been installed in this village," Harun told a group of newsmen. According to Harun, many parts of Kalijaga River upstream areas are used as fishponds, leaving the down stream areas to run empty and form wallows with muddy water.          Yati, another resident of Argasunya, said she was compelled to consume dirty water from the river's puddles because she had no choice. In addition, it is difficult for local residents, whose income is low, to afford costly PDAM water.          She only hoped that the regional government of Cirebon city would supply them with clean water for free so that the residents could stop consuming dirty water.          Chairman of the Cirebon City Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD) Nasrudin Azis admitted that some of Cirebon city residents faced a water scarcity problem because they were not able to receive the PDAM supply. He also expressed hope that PDAM would install water supply facilities in the village.          Residents of Cirebon's neighboring district of Tasikmalaysa also faced water supply problems from the PDAM.  Tasikmalaya's PDAM is even running short of raw water from a number of its water sources due to the current drought.       Masdiat, the technical director of PDAM Tirta Sukapura tap water company, said because of the company's declining clean water supply it imposed rotational water supply cuts for customers.          He added that his company was forced to carry out rotational water supply cuts so it would be able to provide water to all of its customers. "The water volumes are depleted during the drought so that supply to customers is being hampered. Some locals have complained of having obtained no water," Masdiat noted.          Masdiat explained that PDAM Tirta Sukapura's water supply has recently dropped from 400 to about 380 liters per second.          He said that the depleting water volumes reduced water pressure in higher locations so the supply to customers living in higher places was hampered.         Moreover, people living in communities located at higher elevations are the first to feel the impact of dryness, as their wells empty. This is what happened to residents in a number of villages in the valley of Mount Merapi in Boyolali district, Central Java.          Since the dry spell began, villagers in Musuk sub-district, for example, have suffered from water scarcities.          Water sources such as wells and springs have dried up. A villager, 32-year old Ajik from Sruni hamlet, said that villagers now have to purchase water. But those who could not afford it were forced to go to another low-lying village, where water in some wells and other sources is still running.          "The water in some springs in the village still run, but it is far away so we also have to buy it and bring it with a tank truck. The price for a 6,000 liter truck tank is Rp75,000," Ajik said.          Besides Sruni, other villages that suffered from water scarcities in Boyolali district included Mriyan, Sangup and Lanjaran.          Villagers from Lanjaran have to descend a steep cliff in order to receive water from a neighboring village. But Suganto of Lanjaran said water has also become difficult to obtain in the neighboring village in the past several days.          People outside Java, such as in Bali, Kalimantan and Sumatra, also endured the same fate.  In Selisihan Village, Klungkung district, Bali, for example, at least 270 families have faced shortages of water in the past three months after the tap water from PDAM stopped running.          "To meet our daily need for water, we have to take it from a river about 800 meters away from our settlement," Selisihan Village Head Wayan Dana said.          Wayan added that Selisihan Village officials have reported the halting of the tap water. "But our report was not seriously responded to," Wayan said, adding that in the past a customer was late paying his bill, and thereby was fined Rp1 million.          He regretted the slow service of the local tap water company. Director of the PDAM for Klungkung district, Gede Darsana, said the tap water supply to Selisihan village stopped running because the water source was located in a hilly area that was difficult to reach. During the ongoing drought, the tap water company also reports that water pressure has been reduced.          "Selisihan has the same problem as Payungan, which is situated in hilly areas," Gede said.          In the meantime, most of the residents' wells in Pangkalpinang, capital of the Sumatran province of Bangka Belitung, have also dried up. This caused a water crisis in the city. "Many wells have dried up in the past four days," Sumarni, a resident of Gabek Pangkalpinang, said.          She noted that many city dwellers have requested help from neighbors whose wells still had water, while others were forced to dig new wells. Also, some residents avoid taking regular baths and washing their clothes.          Sumarni said this year's water crisis was worse than last year.  "Some wells are completely empty, while last year they still had water which could be collected for taking baths and washing down the water closets," she added.          Additionally, in Central Kalimantan, especially in Kota Kuala Kapuas, it is feared that the current dry spell will cause saline water to seep into ground water sources, posing a threat to health.          "This can cause outbreaks of diarrhea because the water is no longer suitable for drinking. The salinity of the Kapuas Murung river has exceeded the safety standard level as set by the PDAM," President Director of PDAM Kapuas, Sri Hardjito, said on Friday.          The high salinity of the river water, which is the people's main source of water, is endangering people residing along the river banks.          "The salinity content of  Kapuas Murung river has reached 1.500 ppm, which far exceeds the normal level of 17 ppm. If this is consumed it would cause diarrhea," he said. ***3*** (T.A014/INE) (T.A014/A/KR-BSR/A/A014) 25-08-2012 17:04:0

DROUGHT BEGINS TO SEVERLY AFFECT FARMERS, FOOD CROPS

By Andi Abdussalam           Jakarta, Aug 24 (ANTARA) - The ongoing drought in Indonesia has begun to affect food crops in various parts of the country, as farmers continue to face a shortage of irrigation supplies, which are resulting in a low crop yield, especially for rice.          Latest reports suggest that provinces such as West Java, Central Java, Banten, Bengkulu in Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara have already been adversely impacted by the current drought.          In West Java, the regional government has set aside a fund worth Rp15 billion for handling drought-related disasters such as shortage of clean water and for plugging the agricultural irrigation deficit.          "The government had already predicted that West Java will be one of the nine provinces in the country, which will be prone to drought," Sigit Ujuwalaprana, the head of the West Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency said on Friday.          Meanwhile, anticipating poor harvests in the region, the Agricultural Service of West Java had already announced earlier that for the period of January to July this year, a total of 2,345 hectares of rice fields will fail to produce harvestable rice.          "Up to July 2012, the dry spells affected 38,111 hectares of rice fields, of which 166,923 were affected slightly, 9,939 hectares were relatively impacted more, 9,541 hectares were seriously damaged and 2,345 hectares failed to yield any rice," Uneef Primad of West Java Agricultural Service said.          The rice fields in West Java, which failed to yield a harvest, have been found in the districts of Sukabumi, Cinanjur, Garut, Tasikmalaya, Ciamis, Kuningan, Cirebon, Majalengka, Sumdang, Subang and Purwakarta.          "The hardest hit was the district of Sukabumi, where around 988 hectares of land failed to produce a harvest, followed by Ciamis with 399 hectares, Kuningan with 389 hectares, Subang with 136 hectares, Cirebon with 109 hectares, Majalengka with 82 hectares, Cianjur with 91 hectres, Garut with 77 hectares, Tasikmalaya and Sumedang with 26 hectares each and Purwakarta 22 with hectares," Primad said.          He added that he hopes that the drought does not hamper the regional government¿s target of planting rice over 2,008,015 hectares of land in the region for the October 2011 to September 2012 planting season. Until July this year, only about 1,775,040 hectares of land had been covered under rice plantation.          To handle the current drought situation, the provincial and district governments will provide alternative sources water through the construction of wells and clean water tanks, which will receive water from the regional government-owned tap water company PDAM, Ujuwalaprana from the West Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency said.          "14 districts have been declared drought prone, especially those which are largely made up of agricultural land and have failed to produce a rice harvest this year," he noted.          The neighboring province of Banten is also reeling under the impact of the region¿s ongoing dry spell.          The Lebak district in this province has been hurt the most by the drought, with the regional mitigation agency (BPBD) pegging its loss at about Rp90 billion.          "Drought has hit rice fields in 17 sub-districts and caused clean water scarcity in 19 others," Muklis, chairman of the BPBD said in Rangkasbitung, the district capital of Lebak on Wednesday.          Other sub-districts that are also facing clean water shortage include Wanasalam, Cilograng, Malingping, Panggarangan, Cihara, Rangkasbitung, Cibadak, Sajira, Cimarga, Muncang, Cipanas, Warunggunung, Cileles, Cijaku, Gunungkencana, Leuwidamar, Cikulur and Cijaki.          The local government has declared an emergency in the region from August 14 to September 14 on account of the drought.          "We have recorded a loss of Rp90 billion, and will now spend Rp4 billion on building pump wells to supply water to regions facing shortage," Muklis said.          The acreage of damaged rice fields in the region has reached 4,000 hectares. The head of the Lebak Agricultural Service Dede Supriyatna said farmers are also seeing their rice crop fail because most of them cultivate lands in the marginal areas.          To support these farmers, his office is willing to provide them with crop seeds to help reduce the burden of their losses, Supriyatna said. ¿I think the government has the obligation to assist them.¿     The parched season has also caused damage to rice fields in Central Java. In the district of Banjarnegara, for example, at least 202 hectares of rice fields have failed to produce a harvest.          "Till the first week of August, 202 hectares of rice farms had been affected by the drought.  They are located in many sub-districts, including the sub-districts of Susukan, Mandiraja, Banjarmangu, Punggelan, Pandanarum and Kalibening," Head of the Banjarnegara Agricultural Service Dwi Atmadji said.          The drought has not only hurt agriculture in Java, but also in Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara.          In East Nusa Tenggara, at least 110 villages out of the 403 spread across 11 districts, are facing serious food scarcity. About 227 others are facing the same situation, but to a lesser degree.          "We are facing food scarcity because of the drought and uncertain weather conditions that have caused the local people¿s crops to fail," Alexander Sena, the head of East Nusa Tenggara Food Resilience Affairs said on Friday.          To tackle the food scarcity threat, the regional government of East Nusa Tenggara is stocking up 1,000 tons of rice. ¿We are now preparing the stocks, which will be stored in a warehouse of East Nusa Tenggara¿s national logistics agency Bulog,¿ Frans Salem, the regional government secretary of East Nusa Tenggara said.          In the Sumatran province of Bengkulu, farmers have been hurt by the drought in the last few months, which has affected at least 400 hectares of rice fields. ¿Even though the dry spells began several months ago and water levels started depleting, it is only in the last one month that we have felt the serious effects of the drought,¿ Ibnu Hafiz, a farmer pointed out.          He added that the region has experienced scanty rainfall since the middle of 2011, because of which the water levels in Lake Dendam Tak Sudah have continued to plummet. The lake is an important source of water for farm lands in a number of villages such as Jembatan Kecil, Panorama, Dusun Besar, Semarang, Tanjung Jaya and Tanjung Agung.          "Of the 400 hectares of rice fields, only less than 100 hectares were planted with rice due to the shortage of water. Despite that, 75 percent of these 100 hectares has already been damaged because of the dry weather," Hafiz said.          He also pointed out that farmers, whose land is near a water source, have tried to solve their water shortage problem by using machine pumps to draw water, but operating these pumps can cost up to Rp30,000 a day.          "If we do not irrigate our rice fields with water using these machines, we stand to suffer losses of around Rp10 million per hectare," he stated. ***2*** (T.A014/INE/B003)KR-BSR/B003) 24-08-2012 20:13:40

NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THIS YEAR'S DROUGHT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 19 (ANTARA) - The current drought which had caused water crises and affected 95,891 hectares of rice fields in the country is unlikely to create worst impacts and escalate extensively beyond the normal level.          According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the current drought which had taken place for about two months is still categorically normal and that there is no need to worry about.          "As predicted by the BMKG,  in this September some parts of Indonesia is undergoing dry season, yet the dry spell is still within the normal level," BMKG Head for information Prabowo said.          If the weather this time is felt exceptionally hot and a number of regions in the country are suffering from drought and water crisis it is because of the dry spell, where rain does not fall in a period of several consecutive days.          "Much less if compared with that in 2010 when it was a wet dry season or during which rain often fell, the dry season this year is felt too strong, yet in term of annual variations the drought this year is still within the normal limits," Prabowo said.           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 for example, the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has reported that the drought   has spread to 29 districts.           "We don't think that residents in the municipality are being affected by the dry spells because they are served by the tap water company PDAM, yet there must be villages or subdistricts in 29 districts which are facing critical water," Head of East Java's BPBD for Prevention and Alertness Affairs, Sudaisman said here on Sunday.           But he could not point out the names of villages and sub districts which were being affected by water crisis.          "The provincial government officials have had a meeting with representatives of the 29 districts, some of which said they had been facing water crisis," he said.           The current drought has  caused  water crisis not only in East Java but also its neighboring provinces of Central Java, West Java and Banten.           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.          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.          According to Prabowo, the scarcities of water were also caused by the increased usage of water during the dry spell for agriculture which needed constant water supplies but on the other hand the water stock was declining.         The drought has affected rice fields in the country. Although it has affected 95,891 hectares of rice fields in various regions, yet it is still considered within the normal level. Of the total, about 3,713 hectares have failed to produce harvestable yields.          Agriculture Minister Suswono said the number was still lower than last year.          He said besides drought, floods and insects had so far also been the causes of harvest failures.  During the past eight months in 2011, the number of rice fields affected by floods was recorded at 115,851 hectares and 16,471 hectares of them had failed to produce a harvest.           The number of rice fields affected by plant organisms in the period reached 577,015 hectares and 35,454 hectares of them had failed to produce harvest because of that. In all total rice fields that failed to produce harvest from January to August 2011 reached 55,638 hectares.          "It is still below the average areas in the past five years recorded at around 100,000 hectares a year," the minister said.          He said the government had provided Rp374 billion to help farmers who had failed to harvest.          Therefore, it is expected that this year's drought would not bringing worse impacts, though several parts of the country have experienced minor impacts. After all, rain has also begun to fall in a number of regions.          Western Sumatra, namely areas from Aceh, North Sumatra until Riau provinces, will begin to receive rain at the end of this month or in the middle of October. In the meantime, the eastern areas of Sumatra, like West Sumatra, South Sumatra and Lampung, will enter the rainy season at the end of October or early in November.          Provinces in Java, from Banten, West Java, Central Java and East Java, are expected to enter the rainy season at the end of October or early November, according to the BMKG.***4*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/00:15/a014) 20-09-2011 00:21:2

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