JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is preparing a number of mitigation steps to face the potential of a long drought in 2026. The main focus is directed at maintaining food security in the midst of water constraints, especially for the urban agriculture sector.
Head of the DKI Jakarta Food, Maritime, and Agriculture Agency (KPKP) Hasudungan Sidabalok said that cross-sectoral coordination had been carried out to ensure readiness to face the condition.
"The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has carried out cross-sectoral coordination in determining mitigation steps to face the Long Drought 2026 with efforts to maintain food security in urban areas," said Hasudungan in his statement, Friday, April 24.
A number of steps have been prepared, ranging from encouraging the movement to plant alternative food crops to replace rice, to utilizing idle land owned by the Provincial Government to be planted with productive commodities.
In addition, the government is also optimizing available water resources such as ponds, reservoirs, and rivers, as well as strengthening irrigation and drainage networks in urban areas.
Other efforts that have been prepared are the selection of varieties of plants that are more resistant to extreme weather, as well as the provision of supporting facilities for the agricultural activities of residents.
To anticipate water limitations, Hasudungan assessed that hydroponic systems are one of the relevant solutions in the midst of land and water limitations.
"Hydroponic system agriculture is a model of a form of agricultural technology developed for urban scale by utilizing water as a medium mixed with nutrients that are evenly distributed to all plants with precision for plant growth. This model is very suitable for land scale and limited water use," he explained.
In addition, the DKI Provincial Government also encourages the use of alternative water sources, including harvesting rainwater and using water from air conditioners (AC). He also explained that water from condensation from AC can be used as a water source for plants, especially in hydroponic systems.
"Air conditioning can be stored and used as an effort in providing water for plants because air conditioning is free of chlorine and chloramine, so it is safe for soil microbes and does not damage the roots," said Hasudungan.
According to him, the characteristics of AC water that has low dissolved substance levels make it suitable for use as a growing medium.
"In addition, the ppm value of AC water is low (< 5 ppm) so it is suitable for being used as raw water for hydroponic media, so that the absorption of nutrients by plants is maximized," he added.
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