REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The total area of rice fields affected by drought during the October 2014-July 2015 period dropped by 102 thousand hectares compared to that recorded in the same period last year.

In the October 2013-July 2014 period, a total of 159 thousand hectares of rice fields were affected by drought across the country, while during the same period this year, it is only 57 thousand hectares, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman stated here recently.

"So, we have managed to save rice fields measuring 102 thousand hectares from drought," he noted.

If one hectare of rice field could produce five tons of paddy, the ministry was successful in saving 500 thousand tons of paddy worth Rp2 trillion, he remarked.

To deal with the drought, the ministry has distributed a total of 82 thousand water pumps to farmers throughout the country.

Nationally, some 198 thousand hectares of land are endemic to drought annually.

In the meantime, the government has forecast that the drought, most likely triggered by the El Nino phenomenon, will last until November this year.

"Several precautionary measures have been implemented in accordance with the conditions in regions that are likely to be affected by drought," Director General of Water Resources of the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry Mudjiadi noted in a press statement here on Tuesday.

The ministry will check the irrigation systems and impose water rationalization if necessary, he stated.

Water from the dams will be prioritized for drinking, irrigation, and industries, Mudjiadi affirmed.

Until June 30, data revealed that five out of the 16 dams were experiencing a deficit of water due to the extreme dry season.

The five dams were Keuliling in Aceh, Batutegi in Lampung, Saguling in West Java, Wonogiri in Central Java, and Bening in East Java.

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