D

espite downpours in many regions in Central Java, five districts in Wonogiri regency are still facing a critical shortage of clean water and the local administration has extended the drought emergency status until the end of this month.

'€œIt has started raining in other areas, but not in the five districts situated in the southern part of Wonogiri, where rain has fallen just two or three times. The reservoir has not been filled so residents are still facing a clean water shortage,'€ said Wonogiri Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Bambang Haryanto on Monday.

Bambang said the districts were Eromoko, Pracimantoro, Giritontro, Giriwoyo and Paranggupito.

He added his office was currently making efforts to meet the clean water demand by deploying 14 water tankers, each with a capacity of 6,000 liters, to the drought-stricken areas.

'€œWe are also fulfilling the water needs of residents in other affected areas, apart from the five districts, such as Manyaran district, where about 2,000 people are in dire need of clean water,'€ said Bambang.

The BPBD, added Bambang, received information from the Semarang Climatology Station that rain would generally arrive in Central Java in the first and second weeks of November, but rain had only fallen in a small part of the province, mostly in the eastern part.

'€œRain is predicted to fall in Wonogiri, located in the southern part, in the first and second weeks of December,'€ said Bambang.

In regards to the issue, Wonogiri BPBD has extended the drought emergency status that was started in July until Nov. 30. It was originally supposed to have ended Oct. 31. The decision was made because little rain has fallen as of the middle of the month.

'€œAs many as 18,169 families, or 67,320 people found in eight districts are currently suffering from a clean water crisis,'€ said Bambang.

He added his office had already supplied 3,628 tankers of clean water aid to the districts from July to October this year. Each tanker was filled with between 6,000 and 8,000 liters of clean water.

'€œThe daily water demand for the approximately 67,000 people reaches 538 tankers at a total cost of Rp 94.2 million (US$6,900). The longer the dry season, the higher the cost,'€ said Bambang.

Separately, Pracimantoro district chief Warsito said residents had experienced the impacts of the drought since April this year. He added as many as 24,364 people, or 6,250 families, in Pracimantoro were facing a clean water shortage.

'€œSeven villages in Pracimantoro have been experiencing a clean water shortage since April. The impacts of the drought this year are extraordinary as the springs in the seven villages have completely dried up,'€ said Warsito.

He added each resident needed about 20 liters of clean water daily. Besides that, each family must also provide around 40 liters of water to each of their cattle and two liters to their goats.