Fadli, thejakartapost.com 30 Jul 15;
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has said a long dry spell affecting Batam over the last several months has caused a sharp decline in the volume of water in dams in the area. If the situation continues, it says, it is probable that Batam will suffer a clean water shortage.
BMKG Batam predicts that El Niño, a weather phenomenon associated with the warming of ocean water that develops in equatorial Pacific areas, will cause a long dry season, leaving Batam without wet season rain until November.
BMKG Batam head Philip Mustamu said that El Niño was not, as many tended to think, a heat wave. “It’s a phenomenon during which rainfall in an area is lower than in normal conditions in previous years. This is what is happening now in Batam,” said Philip. He added that El Niño was also affecting other areas in Indonesia.
He said rain intensity in Batam was predicted to return to normal in November. “Now, rain has already fallen in certain parts, however, it cannot yet reduce the impacts of El Niño,” said Philip.
The BMKG head said El Niño could have an extreme impact if it happened for a much longer period. “If it continues to happen until after November, we will call it an extreme situation,” he said.
The current long dry season has caused a decline in water flow rates from five dams managed by tap water company Adhya Tirta Batam (ATB). The water level in Duriangkang, the biggest dam in Batam, has fallen by 1.84 meters. Nongsa Dam’s water level fell by 3.98 m, Sei Harapan Dam by 3.65 m, Mukakuning Dam by 2.95 m and Sei Ladi Dam by 2.71 m.
ATB says it has warned Batam residents to be thrifty with their water use. The company has also urged people to reserve clean water in tanks in their homes to anticipate more severe water shortages if the situation worsens. (ebf)(+++)
Regions begin to suffer as dry spell continues
Fadli and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post 31 Jul 15;
Prolonged drought has begun to take its toll on the populations of Batam, the capital of Riau Islands province, as well as a number of regions in Central Java, as water sources dwindle.
In Batam, the scarcity of clean water is hurting residents, with water sources experiencing drastic decreases in water debit.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) Batam office predicted rain would not fall in the region until November, a result of the El Niño phenomenon hitting the area.
BMKG Batam head Philip Mustamu said that El Niño caused less rain to fall in certain areas.
“This is what has been going on in Batam,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The prolonged drought has greatly reduced water reserves in all five reservoirs under the management of Batam administration-owned tap water company PT Adhya Tirta Batam.
Nongsa dam has seen the sharpest decrease in water levels, falling 3.98 meters, followed by Sei Harapan dam, where the water level has fallen 3.65 m, Mukakuning dam with a decrease of 2.95 m, Sei Ladi dam with a decrease of 2.71 m and Duriangkang dam with a decrease of 1.84 meters.
Batam city administration spokesperson Ardiwinata said that the region was wholly dependent on dams for clean water.
“The public must understand that the only available water sources are the dams, which collect rain water,” said Ardiwinata, calling on the city’s people to conserve water use.
Data at the tap water company show that the worst impact of El Niño occurred in 1997-1998, when no rain fell on Batam for eight months.
Prolonged drought has also caused harvest failures in 6,578 hectares of rice fields in a number of regions in Central Java, including Grobogan, Blora, Pati, Demak, Pemalang and Brebes.
“The impacts of drought are being felt in 29 out of 35 regencies and cities across Central Java,” said Prasetyo, the head of the provincial Water Resources Agency.
As well as the harvest failure, Prasetyo said, nearly 27,000 ha of rice fields in the province were also suffering lesser impacts of the drought, over 7,000 ha moderate impacts and some 2,800 ha heavy impacts.
Meanwhile, data from the Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) showed that 17 regions in the province were already in need of clean water aid: Rembang, Blora, Grobogan, Pati, Wonogiri, Sukoharjo, Klaten, Boyolali, Banyumas, Cilacap, Purbalingga, Tegal, Pemalang, Demak, Purworejo, Kebumen and Jepara.
Clean water was distributed in Kebon Taman subdistrict in Semarang city, on the border of Semarang and Demak, earlier this week.
Central Java BPBD head Sarwa Pramana said that clean water had also been distributed by the BPBD in Purbalingga, Cilacap, Purworejo, Jepara, Demak, Wonogiri, Kebumen and Blora.
“Other efforts to deal with the drought include engineering artificial rain and the distribution of clean water in affected regions,” Sarwa said.
