Although Cilacap Rain Still Experiences Drought, BPBD Distributes Clean Water

JAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has started distributing clean water assistance to villages affected by drought in Cilacap Regency, Central Java.

Drought hit even though it was still raining in a number of Cilacap areas in the last few days.

"We received the first application letter from the Bojong Village Government. This village is routinely experiencing drought every year and is almost always the first area to apply for assistance," said Head of BPBD Cilacap Regency Bayu Prahara in Cilacap, Tuesday, quoted by Antara.

Therefore, he said, the Cilacap Regency BPBD on Monday, August 4, began distributing clean water assistance to 253 families or around 900 people in Bojong Village, Kawunganten District.

According to him, in the last few days there has been still rain in a number of Cilacap areas, but the Bojong Village Government still asks for distribution of clean water assistance because many residents need it.

"Yesterday (August 4), we distributed three tanks of clean water to Bojong Village with a total volume of 15,000 liters," he said.

In addition to Bojong Village, he said, BPBD also plans to distribute clean water assistance to residents in Karangkemiri and Mandala villages, Jeruklegi District, according to a letter of application that has been received previously.

However, he continued, the Karangkemiri Village Government and Mandala asked for the distribution of clean water assistance to be postponed because there has been rain in the last few days.

Furthermore, he said based on a BPBD study, there are at least 105 villages in Cilacap that have the potential to experience drought during the dry season.

"This year we have prepared 800 clean water tanks sourced from the 2025 Cilacap Regency APBD. This number has increased slightly compared to last year's 760 tanks, hopefully this year's allocation will meet the needs of the community," he said.

He appealed to the public to wisely use clean water and report the condition of the drought officially through the village government or directly to BPBD so that it can be followed up immediately.

"Based on BMKG predictions, the peak of the dry season is expected to occur in August, so that the Cilacap BPBD remains alert and prepares for the distribution of clean water if the community's water sources shrink again," said Bayu.