Banjar Regency Drought Since August 3, the Ministry of PU has sent 8,000 liters of water

JAKARTA - The drought that hit Gunung Batu Village, Sumbang Makmur District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan (Kalsel), since August 3, 2026 has made the community experience limited water resources.

Responding to the condition, the Ministry of Public Works (PU) distributed 8,000 liters of clean water to local residents.

Water supply is sent on a scheduled basis using two tanker cars with a capacity of 4,000 liters each.

The distribution is carried out to ensure that people's basic needs are met during the dry season.

Minister PU Dody Hanggodo said the government needed to move quickly when the community faced a shortage of clean water.

"Water is an important foundation for life and development. Therefore, when there is drought, the government must move quickly to ensure that the basic needs of the community are met while preparing long-term solutions so that the community is more resilient to drought," said Dody, quoted from a written statement, Wednesday, August 12.

In addition to sending water using tanker trucks, the PU Ministry also placed two public tanks or hydrants at locations that are easily accessible to the public. Each tank has a capacity of 2,200 liters.

The existence of the tank allows the water that has been distributed to be stored first, so that the community can take water more easily.

The Directorate General of Construction through the South Kalimantan Building, Infrastructure and Area Arrangement Office (BPBPK) also assigned three field personnel to support the distribution process.

Water distribution is carried out periodically by adjusting the conditions and needs of residents in the field.

The PU Ministry coordinates with the Gunung Batu Village Government, the Sambung Makmur District Government, the Banjar Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the South Kalimantan BPBPK.

The coordination was carried out to ensure that water supplies could be distributed to people in need.

According to Dody, drought management is not only carried out through the distribution of clean water.

The government is also preparing long-term steps to increase water resilience in areas prone to water shortages during the dry season.

Dody said, his party together with the local government will prepare a number of infrastructure according to the needs of the region.

"The PU Ministry continues to coordinate with local governments to prepare long-term handling, including through the development of raw water sources, ponds, boreholes and piping networks according to regional needs. That way, the risk of water shortages in the dry season can be suppressed," he said.

He assessed that the development of infrastructure was necessary so that the community would not continue to rely on emergency water supplies during the dry season.

With the availability of water sources and a more adequate distribution network, the risk of water shortages is expected to be minimized.

Handling the drought in Banjar is part of the Ministry of PU's efforts to strengthen water resilience while ensuring that people's basic needs are met.