Indonesia distributes emergency water aid to drought‑hit villages in West Java and Banten

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) in Cianjur, West Java, delivered 20,000 litres of clean water on a single day to 1,500 households in the Cibeber sub‑district, bringing the total distributed across six districts to 70,000 litres. The operation, coordinated with the provincial disaster agency (BPBD) and the local water utility (Perumdam Cianjur), faced challenges reaching certain areas due to poor road access, prompting plans for alternative solutions such as boreholes and pipelines. Volunteers also educated residents on water‑saving practices during the dry season.

In the neighbouring province of Banten, residents of Gunung Batur village in Cilegon, a community of about 1,000 people, are struggling to obtain water from a dwindling spring as the El Niño‑related drought intensifies. Villagers, including 55‑year‑old Salminah, must trek daily to the mountain to collect water for drinking, cooking and washing, fearing the spring may run out before the end of the season. They have appealed for aid as rainfall remains scarce.