Garut Regency Government Forms Minimum Drought Handling Task Force Due To El Nino

Illustration. A resident crossed the area affected by the dry drought in the Botok Reservoir, Sragen, Central Java on Tuesday, May 25, 2023. (ANTARA-Mohammad Ayudha)

The Garut Regency Government (Pemkab) formed a Drought Handling Task Force to minimize losses from the impact of the long dry season due to the El Nino phenomenon.

"Because we will deal with El Nino's situation, so we will make a Drought Task Force," said Garut Regent Rudy Gunawan in Garut, West Java, Monday, June 19, confiscated by Antara.

He said the Garut Regency Government had made preparations to face various risks from the dry season which caused drought in agricultural land and clean water difficulties for the community.

The Drought Handling Task Force Team, he continued, will be formed not only at the district level, but also at the sub-district level so that its role is effective in overcoming drought problems.

"Later we will form a Drought Task Force and this will be effective at the sub-district level, and I will hold a meeting via zoom followed by several villages or village heads who are included in the drought maps of levels 1 and 2," he said.

He explained that a number of areas in Garut have zones that are included in level 1 and 2, namely extreme drought with a fairly wide impact on humanity.

The level 1 and 2 areas, he said, are the government's concern to provide guarantees for clean water needs so that they are available safely to the community for basic needs and other activities.

"Because this concerns humanity, especially the provision of clean water, now we will take steps to be able to provide protection for the interests of household interests first," he said.

The Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Garut Regency, Satria Budi, added that his party had received information from the BMKG regarding the dry season, the impact of the dry season will begin to be felt in August 2023.

"Mulai berdampak pada mulai Agustus, karena sekarang masih ada hujan," katanya.

He conveyed that the Garut BPBD had distributed circulars to each sub-district regarding anticipation and inventory of areas affected by the dry season such as clean water difficulties and drought that hit agricultural land.

Local governments, he said, would make a number of efforts to overcome the impact of the dry season by looking for springs and using them for the daily needs of the community and agriculture.

"We anticipate drought in agriculture and basic community needs related to clean water, we also invest water sources that can be utilized," said Satria.