Indonesia drought triggers widespread clean water crisis

A severe drought across various regions of Indonesia has triggered a widespread clean water crisis, forcing local authorities and military personnel to intervene with emergency distributions.

In Central Java, the Kudus Regency is receiving 31,500 liters of water to support nearly 4,000 residents. Similarly, in Tasikmalaya, the police and regional disaster management agency (BPBD) are delivering water to remote villages like Bojonggambir. In Serang Regency, the BPBD is coordinating with various organizations to assist nearly 20 sub-districts, with the northern coastal areas being the hardest hit.

In South Sumatra, the TNI is delivering water from presidential-funded boreholes to residents in Ogan Komering Ilir. In Gorontalo, the Water Resources Management Agency (BWS) is using water tankers equipped with sprinklers to save crops in Boalemo. Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara, the crisis has reached extreme levels, with residents in Sikka Regency forced to extract moisture from banana stalks to survive due to the high cost of commercial water supplies.