Desperate for a drink: Indonesian villagers dig up dry river bed in drought

This is the best summary I could come up with:

KARANGANYAR, Indonesia, Aug 9 (Reuters) - It's been four, long, hot months since Sunardi's village has seen any rainfall as an El Nino-induced drought parches Indonesia, so the tobacco farmer does the only thing he can do to get water: dig up a dry river bed.

Sunardi, and scores of other residents in Karanganyar village in Central Java province, then take the water home to drink, wash and irrigate their slowly dying crops.

The wells in this area have dried out, so residents can only get water from the river bed," Sunardi, who only goes by one name, told Reuters.

Sunardi's village has been digging up the river bed since June, when the water in their wells ran out.

Scientists say El Niño has caused record heatwaves in cities from Beijing to Rome, increasing the risk of forest fires and affecting crops such as wheat, palm oil and rice.

Tris Adi Sukoco, an official at the BMKG in Central Java, said that with rainfall rates in the region drastically lower, villagers like Sunardi should alter their crop patterns.

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So many months without water, seems very harsh. If it is that hard to get for basic needs, I can't see how the crops would survive. :(