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Storms ahead: Indonesia braces for more extreme rainy season
The rainy season is predicted to become more disastrous as climate change makes the weather more unpredictable.
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The ruins of the Syekh Yusuf Stadium that was hit by a tornado in Gowa, South Sulawesi. Three people were injured in the incident. (JP/Andi Hajramurni)
As the rainy season starts in several regions around the country, the government is bracing for possible hydrological disasters.
The rainy season is predicted to become more disastrous as climate change makes the weather more unpredictable.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the rainy season would start in the first or second week of December and would reach its peak in February and March 2020.
“Increased awareness is needed during the peak season in January, February and March 2020, especially on the islands of Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Papua,” BMKG senior official Hary Djatmiko told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
An environmental group, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said on Tuesday the pattern of hydrological disasters has evolved, with whirlwinds becoming more frequent and tropical cyclones creeping into Indonesia’s territory during the rainy season.
According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the number of hydrological disasters has steadily increased over the last 20 years.
Floods and landslide topped the list with 15,873 incidents that killed 7,081 people since 1999, according to the latest data, while combined hydrological disasters account for 98 percent of all disasters in Indonesia.
