11 Districts In Sampang, East Java Experience Drought

PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

SAMPANG - Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Sampang Regency, East Java, Asroni said that 11 of the 14 sub-districts experienced drought and lack of clean water this dry season.

The Sampang Regency Government needs to distribute clean water assistance to the drought-affected areas.

"Drought hit 11 sub-districts in Sampang Regency this time, based on the results of a coordination meeting with sub-district representatives some time ago," Asroni said in Sampang, quoted by Antara, Friday, August 20.

There are three sub-districts that did not experience drought this time, namely Camplong, Omben and Ketapang sub-districts.

Asroni explained, although the number of sub-districts experiencing drought and lack of clean water in this dry season is the same as in 2020, the distribution has decreased.

According to Asroni, in 2020 there were 78 villages that experienced drought in 11 sub-districts, while in the 2021 drought, only 66 villages and 1 urban village.

"This year, from 66 villages, 1 kelurahan is spread over 11 sub-districts, so this year it has decreased compared to last year in terms of distribution or the number of villages/kelurahan experiencing drought," he said.

Regarding the drought, BPBD Sampang claimed to have coordinated with the Regional Water Company (PDAM) of Sampang Regency to distribute aid to drought-affected areas.

"In addition to PDAM, we have also coordinated with the Regional Government Budget Team (TAPD) to obtain approval for the budget allocation for drought and water shortages, which are spread across 66 villages and 1 kelurahan in 11 sub-districts in Sampang Regency," he explained.

According to the Head of BPBD of the Sampang Regency Government, there are two types of drought that have occurred in Sampang in this dry season, namely rare droughts and critical droughts.

Critical drought occurs because the water supply in the hamlet reaches more than 10 liters per person per day, and the distance traveled by the community to get clean water is three kilometers (km) or even more.

While what is meant by rare dryness, the water requirement in the hamlet is just under 10 liters per person per day. The distance from residents' houses to the nearest spring is about 0.5 kilometers to three kilometers.

"For the initial treatment, of course we will prioritize those that are in the critical drought category, because the conditions are more severe," he said.