Indonesian regency delays drought emergency status despite thousands facing water crisis

The Serang Regency government in Banten, Indonesia, has opted not to declare a drought emergency status, even as the prolonged dry season impacts thousands of families and exacerbates water scarcity.

Regent Ratu Rachmatuzakiah stated that the current drought conditions are deemed manageable and that the administration is awaiting official monitoring data and directives from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) before considering any disaster status declaration. The proposal for a drought emergency status is still under review by the local disaster management agency (BPBD).

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Because we haven't received any direction or material from BMKG yet, and currently we have not declared a state of emergency in our area. Regarding the application for a state of emergency, that document is still under review.

Despite the decision against declaring an emergency, the Serang Regency government asserts it is not remaining idle. Efforts are underway to address the water crisis, with clean water aid being distributed extensively through inter-sectoral coordination. The local government, along with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), National Police (Polri), the regional water company (PDAM), and strategic partners, are working to ensure the basic water needs of the affected population are met.

Data from the BPBD indicates that the drought's impact has widened, now affecting seven sub-districts and a total of 6,745 households experiencing clean water shortages. This marks an increase from the previous situation, where only five sub-districts were impacted, underscoring the growing severity of the dry spell across the Serang Regency.

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Yesterday, there was also a lot of aid from the TNI, Polri, then we also mobilized from PDAM and strategic partners to help the community experiencing a clean water crisis.