Temanggung, Central java (ANTARA) -
The extreme dry season has adversely affected five villages in Temanggung District, Central Java Province, leaving them parched and without clean water.

The five villages hit by the dry spell were Getan in Kranggan Sub-district, Drono in Tembarak Sub-district, Jetis in Selopampang Sub-district, Dampit in Tlogomulyo Sub-district, and Kalimanggis in Kaloran Sub-district, Gito Walngadi, head of the Temanggung disaster mitigation office, stated recently.

Since the springs in those villages have dried up, the local residents are seeking help of the government and humanitarian NGOs to meet their supply of clean water.

The office has dispatched six water tanker trucks on a regular basis to supply clean water to those villages, he confirmed.

In Temanggung, 129 hamlets in 40 villages located in 12 sub-districts are prone to water shortages due to the dry spell.

The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has reviewed the availability of clean water in dams, lakes, and reservoirs in regions, as Indonesia is currently reeling from a severe dry season resulting in a water crisis.

"During drought, the supply of clean water (for households) is a priority, and next is for agricultural irrigation," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono had remarked in a statement here on Wednesday.

The ministry checked the availability of clean water in 231 dams, including 16 major dams, each with a capacity to hold 50 million cubic meters of water. Of the major dams, water levels are normal in the eight dams of Cirata, Saguling, Betutegi, Wadaslintang, Bili-Bili, Kalola, Way Rarem, and Ponre-ponre.

In the meantime, water levels in eight other major dams -- Jatiluhur, Kedungombo, Wonogiri, Sutami, Wonorejo, Cacaban, Selorejo, and Batu Bulan -- are below normal.

Based on data as of June 30, 2019, the water volume in the six major dams totaled 3,858.25 million cubic meters, out of their effective capacity of nearly six million cubic meters.

Furthermore, the ministry monitored the availability of water in a total of 1,922 reservoirs, of which some 63.2 percent, or 1,214 reservoirs, had normal water levels, while 36.8 percent, or 708 reservoirs, had below-normal water levels.

The ministry has also dispatched one thousand centrifugal pumps to 34 provinces across the country.

Related news: Dry spell leaves Indonesia's 100 districts, cities parched: ministry



Translator: Heru Suyitno, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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