Drought in Indonesia affects nearly five million people

JAKARTA: Nearly five million people in 11 provinces in Indonesia have been suffering water shortage as a drought has been affecting the areas since late July.
To date, the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) has allocated Rp50 billion (RM13 million) to supply clean water to the people in the areas.
BNPB Information Centre and Public Relations head Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said among the worst-affected areas were Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and Lampung.
According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), the dry season is expected to continue until the end of September, he said in a statement here. — Bernama