<![CDATA[The meteorological drought that struck South Central Timor Regency (TTS) in 2023 caused a clean water crisis with serious impacts on community life. This study aims to deeply analyze community-based clean water crisis management strategies as well as mitigation and preparedness efforts in facing meteorological drought disasters in TTS Regency from the perspective of public administration and government governance. The study employed a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 22 purposively selected informants, participatory observation, and documentation study. Data analysis used the interactive analysis model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014) encompassing data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that cross-sector coordination in water crisis management remains very weak due to authority fragmentation, lack of formal contingency plans, and insufficient institutional capacity of TTS Regency BPBD. Communities developed adaptive strategies based on local wisdom such as the amaf system (traditional water source guardians) and inter-hamlet water-sharing networks, but these capacities are being eroded by modernization and migration. This study recommends strengthening disaster governance through the formation of a District-Level Emergency Water Management Command System (SKPDA), revitalization of traditional water management institutions, and integration of drought risk management into the TTS Regency RPJMD regional planning document.]]>
