The Cost of Waiting for Rain

Aryanto, 34 years old, was given the responsibility to manage the irrigation of around 50 hectares of land owned by residents. The water is taken from the Ciwaka River, lifted with a pump, then channeled through pipes and hoses.

Currently, watermelons on around five hectares of land are being harvested. The remainder is intended for rice and is currently entering the land processing and planting stages. There are crops that are starting to be picked, there are plants that are just being cultivated. Both need water.

To drive four diesel engines, every day around 100 liters of diesel is needed.

I paused at that number. One hundred liters a day. If this need lasts a month, the amount is around 3,000 liters. That's just fuel for flowing water, not yet the seeds, fertilizer and other work. The calendar changes. The machine still needs to be filled.

Since dawn, the pump has been roaring. When the suction pipe was clogged with mud and rubbish, Aryanto went down to the river to clean it. Just to drain the water, that's already a lot of work.

It's easy for us to call Aryanto a tough farmer. However, after hearing about the need for diesel fuel, the word tough felt like it had a bill too.

On Sunday, October 11, BMKG Region II explained that the rainy season in Banten is predicted to start in November. The northernmost parts of Serang and Tangerang can wait until the end of December. El Niño also extends the dry period.

For people whose water sources are still running smoothly, going back a month or two may be enough to respond with complaints about the heat. In the rice fields, the additional time must be calculated in fuel, energy and capital.