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View all search resultsGovt braces for peak El Niño as drought hits Java
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An Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteer fills residents’ jerrycans with clean water in Batangan village, Bangkalan regency, East Java on July 21, 2026, as residents struggled to access groundwater in their homes due to a prolonged dry season linked to this year's El Nino weather phenomenon. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
T
he government is stepping up preparations for the peak of a strong El Niño this year, as drought continues to spread through parts of the country, including Central Java.
President Prabowo Subianto convened on Tuesday a closed-door meeting with ministers, agency heads and law enforcement agencies at the Presidential Palace complex in Central Jakarta, where they discussed measures to mitigate the impacts of El Niño, which is already exacerbating the dry season.
During the meeting, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Teuku Faisal Fathani warned that Indonesia had already seen the start of the weather phenomenon, noting a rise in sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius.
“We believe Indonesia has entered a strong El Niño phase. Therefore, we need to anticipate it,” Faisal said in Tuesday’s meeting.
The phenomenon has also prolonged the dry season across parts of Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara since June, triggering drought and draining water supplies. The BMKG had previously warned that El Niño could well persist until early next year.
Prabowo instructed those in attendance in the meeting to strengthen mitigation measures, including safeguarding water supplies and preventing forest and peatland fires ahead of the dry season’s expected peak in August.
