Dry Season Forces Thousands to Consume Muddy Water

The dry season in Indonesia has triggered a massive water crisis on many islands, including Java, where thousands of people have been forced to use muddy water for consumption.

In Indramayu, West Java, hundreds of people use water from a gutter for household consumption. They collect the dirty and smelly water with jerrycans and filter it before using it for bathing, washing and cooking, Metro TV reported.

In Tegal, thousands of people were also forced to consume muddy water.

“Up to now, the local government has not distributed clean water to help us, so people who could not afford to buy clean water have no choice but to consume the well water,” Asnawi, a neighborhood head in Kalinyamat Kulon regency said.

According to him, people have to filter the water and leave it for two days until the mud and dirt sink and then they can use the water.

The water crisis has been ongoing for three months now, Asnawi said. Locals have requested help from the local government to provide them with clean water for cooking and drinking.

So far, the government has only distributed water once, sending 3,000 liters of water in six water-tank cars.

“But it was not enough because the water was for 5,000 people of Kalinyamat Kulon regency, so there were many people who had to come home empty-handed,” Asnawi said.

In Temanggung, hundreds of people have had to rely on a single well for clean water since August. Every morning, people line up near the well and take turns collecting water. Some have to walk for several kilometers to get to the well.

In East Java, thousands of people living in areas from Madura to border areas with Central Java have lived without running water for more than a month.

They rely on clean water distributed by a local water company for drinking and cooking. For other necessities, they have to walk at least five kilometers to get water from a small river.

Edvin Aldrian, head of climate change at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said the dry season could possibly end next month.

“We predict that the dry season will last for the next month, six weeks at the most,” he said.


(x the JG)