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Indonesia braces for wildfires ahead of dry season
Authorities are gearing up for this year's fire season as a BMKG forecast shows the dry season starting next month in NTT, NTB and Bali, followed by the rest of the country between May and June.
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A police officer helps with firefighting efforts on March 1, 2024 in Dumai, Riau. A wildfire caused by hot, dry weather has burned through dozens of hectares of peatlands and plantations in the city’s districts of East Dumai, Bukit Kapur and Sungai Sembilan. (Antara/Aswaddy Hamid)
T
he government has kick-started efforts to prevent forest and peatland fires in regions prone to these hazards, as the dry season is forecast to arrive next month in some parts of the country.
The latest forecast from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) point to the dry season starting in April following the Australian monsoon, which typically brings dry air to the Indonesian archipelago.
The BMKG forecast also indicates that the dry season is expected to arrive first in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and Bali, while its arrival is expected between May and June in the majority of regions.
The agency also forecasts a high risk of wildfires when the season peaks in July and August.
“This year’s dry season is predicted to be less severe than last year’s, but we still need to be on the alert for potential wildfires,” BMKG climatology deputy Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan told a press briefing on Friday.
A medium to high risk of fire is forecast between July and September for several regions, including Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, southern Kalimantan and southern Papua. Those provinces are also home to large oil palm plantations.
The five regions have experienced massive forest and peatland fires over the past few years, such as in 2015 and 2019 due to the El Niño phenomenon, which brought hot air and prolonged the dry season in the country.
