BNPB has allocated funds worth Rp50 billion to help the people in the drought-stricken areas by taking measures such as supplying water pumps.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Drought has hit 20 provinces this year, an official from Indonesias National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB) reported here on Wednesday.
"This condition has been caused by dry season and lack of sufficient rainfalls in Java and Bali, as well as West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Responding to the situation, the BNPB has allocated funds worth Rp50 billion to help the people in the drought-stricken areas by taking measures such as supplying water pumps, he noted.
The provinces that have received assistance are West, Central, and East Java; Yogyakarta; East and West Nusa Tenggara; South Sumatra; and Southeast Sulawesi, Sutopo said.
The dry seasons in Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara have left a deficit in water supply in these provinces since 1995.
"In 2000, the water requirement of Java was about 83 million cubic per year, but the amount of water only available in mainland is about 30 million, which is insufficient, Sutopo said.
He suggested that to handle the situation in the long term, efforts must be taken to conserve water to avoid deficit in water supply caused by the impacts of climate change.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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