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View all search resultsBintan urges agencies to distribute water as drought hits residents
A prolonged dry season has led to drought, driven not only by water scarcity but also by rampant forest and peatland fires on Bintan Island.
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Blaze fighting: Firefighters work to extinguish a peatland fire on March 25, 2026, in Bintan regency, Riau Islands. (Antara/Ogen)
B
intan regency administration in Riau Islands has ordered its agencies to distribute clean water to nearly 25,000 families affected by a prolonged drought, which has caused water levels at dams and wells to recede.
The instruction was given by Regent Roby Kurniawan after performing an Istisqa prayer for rain on Thursday, as well as a structured distribution scheme down to the district level.
A prolonged dry season has led to drought, driven not only by water scarcity but also by rampant forest and peatland fires, with there being no rain since early this year.
Bintan Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) head Ramlah said that based on the agency’s data, so far at least 24,479 families had been affected by drought and were with limited access to clean water in most parts of Bintan regency, apart from Mantang and Tambelan districts.
“This condition requires swift action. We and all agencies under the coordination of the regent’s assistants and expert staff have organized distribution schemes,” Ramlah said on Friday.
“Each agency is responsible for certain districts in collaboration with district heads, subdistrict heads, Babinsa [village supervisory non-commissioned officer] and Bhabinkamtibmas [village-assigned police officer].”
Ramlah said clean water distribution was carried out using all infrastructure and facilities owned by the regency administration, with support from the private sector.
