SEMARANG: At least 30 districts and cities in Central Java have declared an emergency response status in preparation for potential drought and forest fires, the chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, announced on Tuesday.
Speaking in Semarang during the Coordination Meeting for Handling Drought in Central Java, Suharyanto highlighted that areas like Wonogiri, Klaten, and Cilacap are particularly susceptible to drought, reported ANTARA news agency.
Local governments and regional disaster mitigation agencies (BPBDs) have implemented anticipatory measures, including distributing clean water to affected areas such as Wonogiri and Klaten.
“BNPB will also help distribute water to the community,“ he added.
As per a report from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), just 50 millimetres (mm) of rainfall may be recorded in Central Java in the third week of July 2024.
“However, the BMKG prediction of drought this year is not as severe as in 2023 because there is no El Nino in 2024,“ Suharyanto added.
However, the BNPB chief reminded the public to remain vigilant because the province still has the potential to experience drought.
“We need to be vigilant, even though there were not many disasters from the beginning until the middle of the year,“ he said.
Additionally, the BNPB has urged all district and city BPBDs to monitor mountain areas and landfills, which are highly prone to forest and land fires.
Suharyanto hopes that through this monitoring, the fire disasters that affected mountains and landfills last year can be prevented this year.
The Central Java provincial government has proactively addressed the potential drought by issuing a circular letter, conducting coordination meetings, and gathering data on the readiness of facilities and infrastructure in various districts and cities.
