Indonesia government helps people cope with drought and provide clean water for community

JAKARTA (Vietnam News/ANN): The Indonesian Government will provide clean water for the community as an anticipatory step against drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said on July 5.

Effendy said decreased rainfall can lead to a shortage of water supply for agricultural and other business activities as well as for meeting the daily needs of people, and it can increase the potential for forest and land fires.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has already mapped out areas that have the potential for drought and forest fires, he said, adding that an intervention will be carried out in these areas to minimise the impact of El Nino.

Meanwhile, the Government will provide assistance to affected farmers, he said, noting that the provision of assistance will be similar to the one provided for agricultural land destroyed by flooding.

Earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the water supply from more than 5,000 reservoirs and 38 dams built by the Government must be managed properly to deal with the impact of El Nino. - Vietnam News/ANN