As an El Niño-induced drought continues to grip Indonesia, leaving parched landscapes and dwindling water sources in its wake, villagers are resorting to extreme measures to secure a basic necessity: water. In Karanganyar village, located in the heart of Central Java, residents like Sunardi have turned to desperate measures, digging up dry river beds to extract the salty and muddy water that lies beneath.
For Sunardi, a tobacco farmer, the past four months have been a relentless battle against the elements. Since April, his village has been grappling with a severe water shortage caused by the ongoing El Niño weather phenomenon.
"The drought in this village has been felt since April, and there has been no rain until now. The wells in this area have dried out, so residents can only get water from the river bed," Sunardi explained, highlighting the dire situation.
With the absence of rain and the exhaustion of wells, Sunardi and his fellow villagers have been left with no choice but to excavate the once-flowing river
bed for water. Despite the water's brackish quality, it serves as a lifeline for drinking, washing, and sustaining their slowly withering crops.
"Even if the river here is completely dry, we'll have to find it wherever it is," Sunardi stated with a sense of grim determination, reflecting the villagers' resolve to endure the crisis.
The impact of this drought extends far beyond Karanganyar village. Indonesia's national weather agency, BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika), reports that more than two-thirds of the country is currently
affected by the El Niño phenomenon. This includes significant regions such as all of Java, the northern areas of Kalimantan, and most of Sumatra's interior.
Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, Deputy Head of Climatology at BMKG, highlighted the staggering scale of the crisis.
"The population of those areas exceeds 70% of Indonesia's total population of more than 200 million people," he remarked, underscoring the widespread impact on the nation's inhabitants.
As a result of this environmental catastrophe, numerous farmers like Sunardi are grappling with the harsh reality of crop failure and disrupted livelihoods. Agriculture, a sector contributing nearly 14% to Indonesia's GDP, has been severely affected by the prolonged drought. Approximately one-third of the country's labor force is employed in farming, making the crisis even more concerning.
Tris Adi Sukoco, an official at BMKG in Central Java, stressed the urgency of adapting to the changing climate patterns. He advised farmers to reconsider their crop choices and strategies, given the drastically reduced rainfall rates.
However, for farmers like Sunardi, these warnings come too late. With crops withering and livelihoods hanging in the balance, the immediate focus remains on survival. Digging up dry river beds has become an act of necessity, emblematic of the lengths people are willing to go to in order to secure water amidst an unyielding drought.
As the global community grapples with the wide-reaching impacts of the El Niño-induced drought, scientists warn that this phenomenon is causing not only local hardships but also contributing to record-breaking heatwaves, forest fires, and disruptions to global crop production.
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