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Waterspouts make appearance off Thousand Islands
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Three waterspouts are seen in the waters off the Thousand Islands regency on Monday. (Courtesy of/BNPB)
T
hree waterspouts have been spotted in the waters off Thousand Islands regency on Monday morning, a phenomenon rarely seen in the tropics, the National Mitigation Agency has said.
“This is a rare occurrence whereby three waterspouts are seen next to each other, particularly in a tropical country. It shows that climate change is real thanks to environmental destruction,” the agency’s head, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said on Monday.
The waterspouts appeared next to Opak Island, an uninhabited isle situated close to Kaliage Island. A waterspout is an intense vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water.
Waterspouts increase during a transition period from dry to wet season, locally known as pancaroba, which is triggered by the contrasting temperature at the surface of the land, water and atmosphere that leads to air pressure and creates the waterspout, Sutopo said.
No casualties have been reported, but the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency has intensified communications with related units to monitor latest updates, he added.
He told residents to remain vigilant in the face of extreme weather during the pancaroba period, in which strong winds and tornados frequently occur.
“Avoid activities under big trees and billboards because they may potentially collapse due to strong winds,” Sutopo said. (fac)
