Clean Water Crisis, Bogor Regency Government Issues Drought Emergency Status Until October

Residents of Sukamakmur, Bogor Regency get clean water during the dry season (doc BPBD)

BOGOR - Bogor Regency Government issued a drought emergency alert status as well as forest and land fires in 40 sub-districts. This status was issued through a Circular (SE), in order to anticipate the impact of disasters in this dry season.

Through SE number 300.2/11/SE -SDB/BPBD, Bogor Regent Iwan Setiawan, said Bogor Regency was in a state of emergency alert for drought and forest and land fires from July 10 to October 31, 2023, for 40 sub-districts located in the Bogor Regency Region.

"It is necessary to make efforts to handle emergency alerts for drought and forest and land fires that are fast, precise, and integrated by mobilizing potential human resources, facilities and infrastructure and financing available. So as to minimize the impact of disasters," said Iwan in his statement, Tuesday, August 15.

Iwan said the Bogor Regency Government was also following up on data analysis until early March 2023 conducted by the West Java Climatology Station, BMKG. By considering the physis and dynamic conditions of the atmosphere-sea that could affect the climate in West Java, it was stated that the start of the 2023 dry season would begin in May, in 19 Season Zones (ZOM) or areas that have a boundary between the rainy season and its dry season.

Then, continued Iwan, in 15 dry ZOM starting in June, and other areas in March, April and July 2023. When compared to normal in the average period 1991 to 2020, it is predicted that the start of the 2023 dry season will advance from normal, backward, and other areas will be the same as normal," he explained.

Iwan said the nature of rain during the 2023 dry season in most ZOMs is expected to be below normal. Meanwhile, the peak of the dry season is generally predicted to occur in August, July, and September 2023.

Meanwhile, the Bogor Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) released data on the impact of drought for the period May 2 to August 14, 2023. Acting Head of Bogor Regency BPBD Asep Sulaeman, noted that 33 villages/kelurahan spread across 13 sub-districts in Bogor Regency were experiencing drought or difficulty with clean water.

The number of Family Cards (KK) currently affected is 16,526 families. Of the 16,526 families, said Asep, there were 53,105 people who experienced a clean water crisis.

"Until now, BPBD has distributed 500 thousand liters of clean water aid to the 33 villages/kelurahan," he said.