With drought affecting a large portion of the country, thousands of residents of West Java's Cirebon and Indramayu regencies have had difficulty finding fresh water.

Drought in the two regencies is caused, in part, when low river levels affect reservoirs at the Darma Dam, in Kuningan regency, and Rentang Dam, in Majalengka regency. The reservoirs are the main providers for tap water companies in their areas.

Residents from five subdistricts in Cirebon reportedly had to buy fresh water from vendors this past week, with others traveling long distances to water sources.

Thousands of hectares of rice have been damaged by the drought, threatening this year's harvest.

Cirebon, Indramayu, Subang and Karawang are West Java's rice belts, supplying more than 1.9 million tons of rice to markets across the island.

Nasika Warnadi, president of the local government-run tap water company (PDAM), confirmed the drought had caused a water crisis in many villages, with Pagagan Kidul, Bungko Lor and Bungko Kidul being the worst hit.

"The villages have been affected for more than two weeks, even though the local government has supplied around 5,000 liters of tap water per day. Many villagers have to buy water from vendors," he said.

Nasija warned conditions could worsen, as the drought was expected to continue until the end of October.

"The local administration should prepare for the worst, if the drought continues until then."

The water supply has dropped 60 percent because of the dwindling reservoirs and could reach its lowest level to date, if supplying rivers continue to dry up, he added.

Bungko Kidul village head Mohammad Charkim said inadequate government supplies have forced local residents to reserve water for cooking and drinking, leaving many to buy water for washing.

Residents of Krangkeng and Cantigi subdistricts, the worst hit in Indramayu, called on the regency administration to begin supplying more water, as the areas' wells had gone dry.

"Villagers have to pay up to Rp 1,500 (16 US cents) for a small five-liter can of water," said Tarma, a resident of Tarma village, adding she spent almost Rp 9,000 (96 US cents) per day this past week on water.

Indramayu councilor Ono Surono requested the regency increase its supply of fresh water using mountainous sources, before the crisis worsens.

The local government-owned PDAM should be actively seeking alternatives, including the procurement of water pumps to be distributed to all districts in the regency, he added.