Indonesia braces for droughts, fires

Jakarta: Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Tuesday warned of potential droughts and peatland fires as the dry season is already starting in some regions of the archipelago.

The head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, has said that 19 per cent of Indonesia's territory entered the dry season, particularly Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, West Java, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, some other regions in Java, Bali, and the Southeast Islands will enter the dry season within the next three weeks. These areas have experienced at least 20 days without rainfall, she said.

Karnawati called on related authorities to prepare prevention and mitigation measures as most parts of the country are expected to face droughts until September.

The BMKG also recommended they apply weather modification technology to fill reservoirs in those areas that may experience droughts and start wetting peatlands that are susceptible to fire.