When the Well Starts to Dry Up, Hundreds of Residents in Cilacap Depend on Clean Water Assistance

Cilacap Regency BPBD officers distribute clean water assistance for residents affected by drought at the beginning of the dry season in Karangkemiri Village, Jeruklegi District, Cilacap, Central Java, Monday (15/6/2026). ANTARA/HO-BPBD Cilacap

CILACAP - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Cilacap Regency, Central Java, recorded two villages starting to be affected by drought at the beginning of the 2026 dry season. This condition encourages BPBD to distribute clean water assistance to meet the basic needs of the community.

"We have distributed clean water to two affected villages, namely Kedungbenda Village in Nusawungu District and Karangkemiri Village in Jeruklegi District," said Head of the Cilacap Regency BPBD Taryo in Cilacap, Antara, Wednesday, June 17.

BPBD together with the technical disaster management unit has distributed a total of 23,000 liters of clean water to the affected areas. A total of 3,000 liters of clean water were distributed to Kedungbenda Village on June 9. The aid was distributed to three points in RT 1 and RT 4 RW 3 Dusun Api-Api.

The clean water assistance is intended for 40 families or 120 people who are starting to have difficulty obtaining clean water due to the reduced availability of water sources.

Meanwhile, in Karangkemiri Village, Jeruklegi District, the BPBD has distributed 20,000 liters of clean water to residents affected by drought.

Taryo said the results of the rapid survey conducted on June 15 showed that the Karangkemiri RT 05 RW 01 area had limited clean water due to the decline in the water source flow that had been used by residents for daily needs.

From the results of the assessment, it was recorded that as many as 49 families or 192 people were affected by drought. A number of residents' wells have decreased in debit so that they are unable to meet the daily needs of the community.

According to him, this condition makes some residents have to find water sources from more distant locations. To reduce the impact caused, BPBD distributes clean water periodically.

In addition to distributing clean water assistance, BPBD also coordinates with the village government, monitors the development of water sources, and educates the community about the importance of saving water during the dry season.

He said that BPBD would continue to monitor the development of the situation on the ground and prepare for the distribution of further assistance if the drought conditions continued.

"We also encourage the strengthening of coordination between village governments, sub-districts, and related institutions to ensure that the community's need for clean water is still met during the dry season," said Taryo.

In addition, BPBD assessed that the strengthening of the provision of clean water facilities needed to be prepared as a medium-term effort to increase community resilience in the face of the threat of drought in the upcoming dry season.