Thousands of farmers and volunteers from seven villages mobilized Sunday to clear clogged irrigation canals in Central Java, Indonesia, as a water shortage halted planting and threatened food production.
About 3,000 people focused on a five-kilometer section of the Soropadan system, part of a 13-kilometer network supplying water to roughly 508 hectares of farmland across Temanggung and Magelang, according to the Archdiocese of Semarang.
Community leader Kusnindaryanto said residents acted together across faiths and professions, adding, “Many people were willing to get involved because everyone felt the same concern about this water crisis.”
The irrigation network draws from the Pondoh Weir, releasing about 1,000 liters per second, but landslides and upstream works disrupted flows within a system overseen by Central Java’s provincial government.
Kusnindaryanto said the shortage paralyzed farming for months, saying, “Let alone planting rice, for the past five months we have even struggled to plant corn.”
Participants included farmers, security personnel, Banser volunteers, and Catholic faithful from the Santa Maria Regina Pacis Secang area, reflecting interfaith cooperation across communities straddling the Temanggung–Magelang border.
Residents estimated the synchronized effort would remove about 3,000 cubic meters of sediment, with cleanups conducted simultaneously in seven villages between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Saryanto, a Soropadan village official, said farmers earlier tried individual fixes to keep water moving, noting, “In local terms, farmers had already tried what we call ngurut banyu.”
Church leader Herman Joseph Samijo said parish discussions spurred action, adding, “About 85 people from Santa Maria Fatima Parish then declared themselves ready to take part in this community work.”
Local officials welcomed the initiative, with Temanggung Regent Agus Setiawan calling it extraordinary and urging residents to maintain the canals to ensure steady irrigation flows.
