Indonesia holds 6 percent of the world’s water potential – fresh water that can be used directly for daily human needs. Despite this, 85 percent of the country is in drought, according to government officials.
Java, its most populous island, has reached a ‘crisis’ point, and water deficits are expected until at least 2070. Water quality across the vast island is also expected to significantly decline, as resources are not well managed. Increased public awareness and community engagement can begin to ease these pressures, but government interventions are the key to sustained change.
Last year the local government of Bantul regency, in the region of Yogyakarta, Java, alerted its residents to the high possibility of widespread drought. The regency grew rapidly in recent times: urbanisation increased because of new infrastructure connecting villages to urban areas. A total of 99.4 percent of the island’s area is threatened by drought, according to 2013–17 data (the latest available) from national disaster body BNPB, and more than 13 percent of the population does not have access to clean water. The situation has been made worse by climate change, which increases overall temperatures and alters the duration and distribution of rain.
