Jakarta, IO – A large number of residents in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, line up to receive clean water from Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) personnel.
According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), 17 provinces, including Central Java, Banten, West Java, East Java, Papua, DKI Jakarta, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, DI Yogyakarta, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, Sulawesi West, Southeast Sulawesi, Papua, West Papua, and Maluku, are reported to be on alert due to the prolonged drought triggered by the El Niño hitting Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Perumda Air Minum Jaya (PAM Jaya) reported that 17 areas in DKI Jakarta are affected by clean water scarcity, with thousands of families having difficulty obtaining clean water. The water to residents’ homes has been flowing at a minimum level, making it difficult for residents to meet their daily needs for washing, cooking, and bathing. In order to fulfill their clean water needs, residents spend between IDR 5,000 and IDR 7,000 per liter on mobile water vendors.
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The clean water distribution by the Indonesian Red Cross is one of the government’s initiatives to address the clean water crisis. The General Chair of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Jusuf Kalla, said that PMI will distribute 300 million liters of water and transport 300 water tankers with a capacity of 5,000 liters to drought-affected provinces. These water tank trucks have operated three times a day in the designated locations for the past three months. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the local government will ensure that the citizens meet the demand for clean water.
(IO/Faisal Ramadhan)