12 Districts In Lebak Banten Potential Drought, BPBD Prepares Clean Water Supply

Photo Illustration: Antara

JAKARTA A total of 12 sub-districts in Lebak Regency have been included in a map prone to drought which causes local people to have difficulty getting clean water. Therefore, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Lebak Regency, Banten will distribute clean water to a number of drought areas. "We are ready to distribute clean water if residents experience water difficulties due to the impact of climate change in El Nino or drought which peaked in August-September 2023," said Acting Head of BPBD Lebak Regency Febby Rizky Pratama, quoted from Antara, Saturday, July 22.

BPBD Lebak Regency is now monitoring sub-districts that are prone to drought.

Monitoring is one of the efforts to deal with drought if there is a drought, especially El Nino peaked in August-September. However, his party has so far not received reports of residents having difficulty with clean water or farmers experiencing drought. "We have alerted three units of tank cars if residents experience a clean water crisis," he explained. According to him, BPBD maps drought-prone areas spread across 12 sub-districts including Cimarga, Karanganyar, Cibadak, Warunggunung, Sajira, Muncang, Cirinten, Cileles, Banjarsari, Wanasalam, Cihara, and Leuwidamar sub-district areas, resulting in drought-prone areas causing the difficulty of clean water to be located in the highlands. BPBD Lebak also reported rice farming areas that experienced drought to the local Agriculture Service. "We are on standby for 24 hours to face El Nino to provide the best service to the community," said Febby.Febby said that people who experience clean water difficulties because various factors have not been touched by the PDAM service network as well as the availability of drought that causes timba wells and 'jetpump' not water.

BPBD Lebak also hopes that residents who have not been touched by PDAM services can be served so that if the dry season does not occur, there is no clean water crisis. In addition, the government and the community every year carry out planting movements in community and forest lands for reforestation. The Lebak Regent and PT Telkom reforestation in Lebak Gedong District to prevent landslides can also save water absorption. "We continue to move by planting various hard plants so that the forest is not critical, which can cause drought and clean water difficulties," he said. Meanwhile, a number of residents of Wanasalam District, Lebak Regency, said that until now the underground wells have started to shrink water since two weeks in this area without being hit by rain. "We, if there is drought due to the El Nino climate, will certainly ask for help in the supply of clean water to the local BPBD," said Ujang, a resident of Wanasalam, Lebak Regency.