I

mproving water resources management and services will be critical to better protect Indonesian people against droughts in the future, an activist has warned.

Hamong Santoso from the People’s Coalition for the Right to Water (KRuHA), said on Monday that the government had not so far prioritized improvements to water resources management and services.

“No critical thought has been given by leaders in this country to reflect their huge concern that water is a basic need for the Indonesian people,” Hamong told The Jakarta Post.

He cited as an example that at least 10 ministries are responsible for water resources management, incorporating the supply, protection and delivery of water, as well as water distribution.

“It seems that they work without any coordination. As a result, people face market mechanisms in their efforts to get clean water both for their daily domestic needs and agriculture, especially in worsening situations, such as this long dry spell,” said Hamung.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Central Java has faced long dry periods more than 300 times during the last 20 years, followed by West Java with 278 times, and 156 times in East Java. Drought-associated problems occur in the same locations year after year.

During the past few weeks, residents in Sumatra and Java have suffered from the drying up of clean water supplies as the dry season has depleted water resources.

The government is preparing Rp 1.7 trillion (US$197.2 million) to cope with the impacts of the droughts, which have resulted from an El Niño typhoon hampering several areas in Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday that the government will take the mitigation fund from this year’s food contingency fund, amounting to Rp 3 trillion that has been allocated in the 2011 state budget.

“Of the total budget, we have used only Rp 300 billion to compensate failed harvests for farmers and Rp 1 trillion to deliver rice for poor families. So, the remainder, worth Rp 1.7 trillion, will be used for the provision of water pumps in drought-affected areas,” Hatta said.

The water pump program, he said, would deliver clean water for people living in the most affected areas, both for their daily domestic needs and agriculture.

Hundreds of hectares of paddy fields in Nasal District, Kaur Regency, Bengkulu Province, are harvested prematurely due to a lack of water supply.

“Accelerating harvest time aims to secure the next planting periods. We will start to plant by using the remaining water in the waterworks,” said Nasal Oji, a 40-year-old farmer, as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the drought in Indonesia already reached its peak in August.

The head of the agency’s meteorology center, Widada Sulistya, told the Post on Monday that it is estimated that in September, some areas will start to face the rainy season, such as northern parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, he added.

However, efforts are still needed to tackle the impacts of the drought, as eastern regions of Indonesia will only enter the rainy season in December.

Widada said the areas that have suffered the most from the long dry spell and low rainfall are mostly located south of the equator, such as the south of Sumatra, the southern region of Sulawesi, and all southern areas of Java, and East and West Nusa Tenggara. No coordinated action to tackle droughts every yearResidents have suffered drought due to dry season that began in AugustWorst-affected areas are mostly located south of the equator