JAKARTA: El Nino phenomenon has not reduced the rain frequency in Indonesia since the country entered the rainy season in November 2023, according to The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
El Nino is a natural phenomenon that can pose weak to moderate threats, disrupting water supply and potentially leading to drought and a decline in agricultural food production activities.
Head of the the Agency’s Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Centre, Abdul Muhari, noted in Jakarta on Monday that the phenomenon will last until March-April 2024, reported ANTARA news agency.
“However, during our transition to the rainy season, we will experience more rain. El Nino does not reduce the rain intensity but increases the weather (intensity patterns) during the non-rainy phase,“ he explained.
Muhari said it continues to monitor the condition of forest and land fires in the six priority provinces of South Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.
“Even though in November, 60 per cent of Indonesia’s territory has entered the rainy season, we are still monitoring the development in controlling forest and land fires in six priority provinces. Until the end of the dry season, the president did not visit areas affected by forest and land fires. This means that our control is quite effective,“ Muhari stated.
He remarked that the worst forest and land fires occurred in 2015 and 2019, prompting President Joko Widodo to pay a visit to the affected areas.
Hence, forest and land fire mitigation is a joint work between ministries, institutions, and central and regional governments, he affirmed.
The disaster agency also urges vigilance for potential floods and high-intensity rains, such as in Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, West Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, and North Maluku. –Bernama
