Over the last several months, residents of Sinarjati village in Cibarusah district, Bekasi, West Java, have been engaged at the bottom of the Cipamingkis River, now beginning to dry up.

Since May, the dry season has prevailed in Cibarusah, parching not only local people'€™s wells but also the Cipamingkis, the largest river in Cibarusah.

Riverbed rocks can be seen from a bridge spanning the stream, the water of which is flowing at a rate far too low compared to the size of Cipamingkis. The area'€™s hilly terrain makes the search for water even trickier.

Some residents buy clean water to meet their daily needs, but the majority of the village community relies on the dwindling water at the bottom for bathing, cooking and washing.

Junaidi, a local resident, said that this time the drought had been the worst in the last few years. While in previous years it peaked only for two months in July and August, this year it has lasted for four months since May.

He was scooping water from a hole about 1 meter deep in the riverbed. Villagers were digging a number of holes of varying depths to obtain clean river water. In the rainy season, these cavities will again be filled as the Cipamingkis regains its strong current.

Every morning and afternoon, women carry clothes to be washed with barely enough river water, before taking a bath by making the most of the flows from the bottom holes. Likewise, men and children bathe in the same meager source of water.

Finishing their routine, families will take home 10 jerry cans and buckets of clean water on average for household purposes by covering on foot a distance of around 500 meters separating their dwelling places from the riverbed holes.

The dryness annually plaguing the Cibarusah district also has an impact on local agriculture. Villagers don'€™t have high expectations for the regional government to build irrigation channels because of the huge costs involved. However, through serious management, the recurrent dryness in Cibarusah can be properly anticipated.

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'€“ Photos by P.J. Leo

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