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everal areas in Central Java have begun to suffer from a shortage of clean water as a result of a prolonged dry season.

The Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has declared drought-emergency status in a number of regencies including Wonogiri, Pemalang, Banyumas, and Klaten.

In Wonogiri regency, more than 60,000 residents in eight districts, namely Pracimantoro, Paranggupito, Giritontro, Nguntoronadi, Giriwoyo, Eromoko, Manyaran and Selogiri, have lost access to their normal sources of clean water, such as wells, rivers and ponds, prompting them to walk for more than one hour to get to the nearest springs.

The regency administration has allocated Rp 2 billion (US$150,000) to pump clean water from an underground cave in Paranggupito.

“Supplying clean water tanks regularly is no longer relevant as it is not a permanent solution,” Wonogiri regent Joko “Jekek” Sutopo said on Wednesday.

He said there were numerous underground rivers in Wonogiri that could be exploited to help supply clean water to residents.

”Locals call such underground rivers ‘luweng’. But pumping the water to the surface and channelling it to residents is costly. It could need a total budget of Rp 165 billion,” he said.

According to Jekek, at least 180 luweng are located in four districts, namely Giriwoyo, Giritontro, Paranggupito, and Pracimantoro. Each luweng could have water flows of 500 to 800 liters per second.

He said the regency administration had been in talks with the central government regarding the planned projects.

Separately, BPBD Wonogiri Head Bambang Haryanto said a clean-water scarcity had hit at least 38 villages in the eight districts.

“We will continue to deliver clean water in tanks until October,” he said.

In Surakarta, the second-biggest city in the province, the prolonged dry season has also affected clean-water supply as the volume of the Bengawan Solo river, the main source of clean water in the city, has sharply declined.

Tri Atmojo Sukomulyo, the technical director at the city-owned clean-water firm PDAM Surakarta City, said water pollution from industrial areas had exacerbated the clean-water supply problem.

Other sources of clean water in the city include the Cokro spring in Tulung district, Klatenm, which has been in operation since 1928.

The technology manager of the river basin area research and development agency in Kartasura, Sukoharjo, has stated that at least 198 clean-water springs in Surakarta have been abandoned since 2006.

“There are only 223 clean-water springs left in Surakarta,” agency head Nur Sumedi said on Monday.