VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo reminded all parties to stay alert for monthly rainfall which is getting frequent in Indonesia due to the La Nina phenomenon.

"The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency [BMKG] told me that the La Nina phenomenon will increase the monthly rainfall in Indonesia by 20-40 percent above normal," President Joko Widodo said at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday.

President Joko Widodo conveyed this in a limited meeting on Expecting Hydrometeorological Disasters with his ministers.
La Nina is a condition of deviation (anomaly) in the sea surface temperature of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean which is cooler than normal.

"I want all of us to prepare ourselves to expect the possibility of a hydro-meteorological disaster," added the President.

President Jokowi also wants to see the impact of La Nina on the production of the agricultural, fishery, and transportation sectors.

"Because 20-40 percent is not a small increase, I ask that information is disseminated as soon as possible to all provinces and regions so they know everything," he said.

Previously, BMKG said the impact of La Nina was not uniform throughout Indonesia. In October-November 2020, an increase in monthly rainfall due to La Nina can occur in almost all regions of Indonesia except Sumatra.

From December to February 2021, increased rainfall might occur in eastern Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku-North Maluku, and Papua.

In October, several season zones in Indonesia are expected to enter the rainy season, including the east coast of Aceh, parts of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka, Lampung, Banten, parts of West Java, parts of Central Java, parts of East Java, parts of West Kalimantan, parts of Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, parts of East Kalimantan and parts of North Kalimantan, a small part of Sulawesi, North Maluku and a small part of NTB.

The increase in high rainfall might cause hydrometeorological disasters, such as landslides and floods, so all parties need to take mitigation measures to reduce disaster risk to prevent any casualties.

Hydrometeorological disasters are disasters caused by weather phenomena. Apart from floods and landslides, other hydrometeorological disasters are strong winds, hail, and cyclones. (Antaranews)