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View all search resultsIndonesia on alert for prolonged dry season as El Niño nears
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Aerial photo shows solar-powered water pumps irrigating rice fields in Lumajang, East Java, on April 6, 2026. The Agriculture Ministry is maximizing the use of 80,158 water pumps distributed to farmer groups as part of efforts to anticipate potential El Niño-driven drought starting April 2026, aimed at securing water supply and maintaining national agricultural productivity. (Antara/Irfan Sumanjaya)
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uthorities across the country have rolled out measures to tackle land and forest fires and safeguard food supplies as the warming El Niño climate pattern is expected to return in the second half of the year, raising the risk of a prolonged dry season.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) is monitoring Pacific Ocean conditions to track the potential development of El Niño, with its latest assessment showing up to an 83 percent chance of weak to moderate intensity emerging mid-year.
El Niño typically brings hotter and drier conditions, extending the dry season and reducing rainfall across the archipelago. The phenomenon previously pushed rice prices to record highs during the 2023–2024 cycle.
“Naturally, a stronger El Niño intensity leads to a greater reduction in rainfall,” BMKG climatology deputy head Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Although the exact intensity remained uncertain, the agency has warned of a drier and longer dry season this year due to natural climatic variability in the archipelago.
Most of Indonesia is currently transitioning into the dry season between April and June, with peak conditions expected in August.
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