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Govt beefs up measures to face extreme weather
Extreme weather conditions, which might last until February, have prompted the government to heighten anticipation measures in several sectors as well as in regions across the archipelago
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xtreme weather conditions, which might last until February, have prompted the government to heighten anticipation measures in several sectors as well as in regions across the archipelago.
On Monday, ministers, including Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, as well as officials from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Climate Change Council (DNPI), gathered in Jakarta for a coordinating meeting to anticipate extreme weather and climate. Also present at the meeting were Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta and Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan.
Extreme weather includes tornadoes, high waves and more frequent heavy rains that lead to more floods, according to the BMKG.
Agung said the extreme climate would require adaptation in several sectors, such as the agricultural and forestry sectors.
“More specific data is needed, the data from each regency namely. For instance, when will the rain in regency A begin,” he said.
The information will help to take adaptive measures, such as the right time to plant, because extreme weather until February might lead to food vulnerability, Agung added.
“Anticipative actions are also needed in terms of adaptation, especially in the transportation sector,” he said, warning about possible floods and high waves in several regions. “What’s important is the information. Once a region is known to suffer from food shortages, aid can be carried out immediately.”
Agung said the government would gather governors and regency heads this month to inform the latter of specific conditions that might occur in their regions. BMKG chief Sri Woro said that almost all regions in the country were prone to the predicted extreme weather.
“The forms of the extreme weather might be, for example, early wet seasons and more flooded areas.”
Sri Woro said the condition was fueled by global climate change. “Global warming will eventually influence the expansion of the air above us. Thus the space for clouds and winds to form gets bigger.
Therefore, rain will be more frequent, change of wind will be faster, and the circulation becomes larger due to vertical heating,” she said.
The BMKG in its presentation underlined the urgent need of adaptive measures to deal with climate change, instead of merely focusing on mitigation. According to the agency’s data, the dry seasons between 2001 and 2010 were longer and occurred earlier compared to those between 1971 to 2000, thus the change has already occurred and adaptation is needed, the agency said.
The data presented during the meeting revealed that several areas, such as South Jakarta and the western part of East Java, might start their wet seasons as early as September, while other areas, such as Pasuruan in East Java, might enter the season in December.
Waves as high as 3 to 5 meters might occur in several waters, such as the west waters of Merauke and from the southwest Indian Ocean of Lampung to the southwest of Banten. Several areas in Sulawesi like Tomohon in North Sulawesi are predicted to have a high risk of flooding while areas in East Kalimantan such as Long Bangun and Long Iram have a medium flooding risk.
