Jakarta – The government is accelerating mitigation measures to address the potential impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to begin to be felt during this year’s dry season. These efforts are focused on preventing drought, forest and land fires (karhutla), and maintaining the stability of national food production.
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has asked all regional heads to immediately strengthen cross-sector coordination as a precautionary measure to deal with the impact of El Niño, which is predicted to be most significant between July and October.
“I’ve asked all regional heads to hold an internal meeting. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the agriculture department, and the irrigation department are all gathered to anticipate the impact at the provincial, district, and city levels,” Tito said.
According to Tito, there are two main threats that need to be watched out for: the increasing risk of forest and land fires due to hotter weather and reduced water availability, which could disrupt the agricultural and plantation sectors, as well as the community’s water needs.
The central government, he continued, has prepared various mitigation measures in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies. The mitigation strategy is based on data and projections from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Directorate General of Water Resources at the Ministry of Public Works.
In addition to strengthening coordination at the regional level, Tito also asked governors to improve communication with district heads and mayors so that preparedness for El Niño is evenly distributed across all regions.
“Solutions have also been prepared. The Ministry of Agriculture, for example, is implementing irrigation, pumping, and other measures. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will also modify the weather to bring rain to areas in need,” he said.
The government is also encouraging the involvement of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), vertical agencies, river basin offices, agricultural extension workers, firefighters, and village governments in efforts to prevent and handle the impacts of El Niño.
Tito emphasized the crucial role of village heads in early detection of potential land fires and droughts so that mitigation efforts can be carried out more quickly.
“Also involve village heads in preventing fires, and if they do occur, they can be handled immediately,” he stressed.
The government hopes that early mitigation measures will safeguard national food security, minimize the risk of crop failure, and prevent food price fluctuations amid the threat of climate change.