Drought In Cilacap Expands, 44 Affected Villages

Cilacap Regency BPBD officers distributed clean water assistance to residents affected by drought in Mujur Lor Village, Kroya District, Cilacap, Thursday (31/8/2023). BETWEEN/HO-BPBD Cilacap

CILACAP - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Cilacap Regency, Central Java, stated that the number of villages affected by drought in the region continues to grow and so far it has reached 44 villages in 17 sub-districts.

Head of the Cilacap Regency BPBD Emergency and Logistics Division, Budi Setyawan, said that based on the recapitulation results, the number of residents affected by drought in the 44 villages reached 12,675 families consisting of 39,264 people.

"Today (15/9) there are 15 tanks of clean water distribution for residents in five villages, namely Ujungalang, Kampunglaut District; Bojong, Sidaurip, and Kubangkung, Kawunganten District; and Buntu, Kroya District," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, September 15.

BPBD has distributed clean water assistance sourced from the Cilacap Regency Regional Budget for Fiscal Year 2023 as many as 287 tanks.

It was explained that not all residents who received clean water assistance experienced drought along with drying water sources during the dry season.

"There are several villages that actually still have water, but the water in the wells of residents is eroded by sea water, so it is not suitable for consumption because it feels brackish, especially villages around the Segara Anakan lagoon," he explained.

Related to this, Budi said the Cilacap Regency BPBD would continue to distribute clean water assistance to people in need, especially in villages that had officially submitted requests for assistance.

He appealed to the village government whose territory has been affected by drought to immediately submit a letter requesting clean water assistance to the Cilacap Regency Government.

In addition, he said, his party also invited government agencies/privates, organizations, and the business world to participate in distributing clean water aid to residents affected by drought in Cilacap Regency.

"Based on the results of our mapping, in Cilacap there are 105 drought-prone villages spread across 20 sub-districts, and so far 44 villages in 17 sub-districts have been affected by drought," he said.