PENYELADI, Indonesia — “The water shortage affects us, especially when it comes to drinking water,” said Sriwati, a shopkeeper and mother of three. The river near her home has turned into a shallow, muddy stream, and she can’t safely drink its water or use it to wash rice. Now she buys water, adding another expense to her household budget. The Kapuas, Indonesia’s longest river and a water source for more than 3 million people, has receded near her home.
Private and government water donations have brought some relief, but residents still worry about the dry spell and its impact on daily life. “I’m worried about this prolonged dry spell. It’s reached the point where just going about our daily activities — going anywhere at all — has become difficult. We’re facing water shortages, too,” Sriwati told The Associated Press. “I’m at a loss for words to describe it.”
Who controls the water
Experts say a super El Niño, combined with damage to Borneo’s peatlands, has contributed to a severe water crisis and intensified human-caused climate change. Peatlands are wetlands that store carbon, regulate water and help control pollution. The climate cycle involves warming ocean temperatures, and this year’s event is expected to bring drought, heat waves, flooding and other disruptions around the world.
Amanda Hurowitz, a senior director at international environmental organization Mighty Earth, said about 60% of peatland areas in Kalimantan — the Indonesia-controlled part of Borneo — had been drained for palm oil plantations and pulp and paper concessions. She said the drainage changes where water is held. “That means the water is not where it should be. There are all these canals, and because the canals are blocked, the water table goes low,” Hurowitz said. “Because it’s so dry, the water has just disappeared.”
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry acknowledged the negative impact of drained peatlands in a written statement. The ministry said evidence should establish specific causes and liabilities, rather than automatically blaming El Niño or businesses. It said the government aims to prevent further degradation through ecosystem restoration and by enforcing concession holders’ obligations.
Fires, lost work, and dangerous travel
Drought and peatland degradation have also helped fires spread across Borneo. Dried peat burns easily, and fires can move underground, making them difficult to extinguish and likely to recur, according to the Borneo Nature Foundation. Low water supplies have slowed firefighting. Japan has sent firefighting assistance to the island.
Toxic haze has blanketed the sky, traveled more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the Philippines, and exceeded Malaysia’s emergency-level air-pollution threshold. Authorities declared an emergency in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo.
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of burned land between January and July, nearly three times the size of Singapore. The ministry said it’s shifting policy toward prevention, including cross-sector coordination, enforcement against burning-based land clearing, patrols, early-detection systems, risk-based monitoring, peatland restoration and fire-control requirements for permit holders and communities.
In Sungai Malaya village in West Kalimantan, fires destroyed vacant lots where Rumsiyeh, a 45-year-old mother of five, and her husband gathered ferns to sell at the market. Residents remain tense because fires have sometimes worsened suddenly at night. “Everything’s gone. We can’t make a living anymore,” she said.
The water crisis has disrupted work and travel on the Kapuas. Boaters, fishers and others who depend on the river face water levels too low for fishing or travel. Where boats can still operate, haze reduces visibility and makes travel dangerous, said fisherman Abiansah, 39. Large metal barges that usually carry oil palm tree kernels downriver for processing have run aground on sand; the national economic impact hasn’t been measured.
Promises and responsibilities
The ministry said its long-term agenda includes restoring peatland hydrology, improving water management, strengthening fire prevention and ensuring parties managing land meet their responsibilities. “Ultimately, controlling forest and land fires isn’t the task of a single ministry or institution,” it said. “Prevention requires collaborative effort.”
The Associated Press said its climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations and that AP is solely responsible for its content.