The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, or BMKG, has stated that four districts in the Nusa Tenggara region are on alert with a meteorological drought red code.
The status was confirmed in an early warning letter for meteorological drought, issued by the Deputy for Climatology at BMKG on 24th July 2020.
The areas under notice are Kupang City, Belu Regency, Timor Tengah Selatan Regency, and Dompu Regency in NTT, along with one district in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). BMKG also noted that 58 regencies or cities are also on alert across NTT, NTB, Bali, East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and South Sulawesi.
Currently, 69 percent of the regions have entered the dry season as Australia’s dry monsoon winds dominate winds flowing from the east-southeast direction. Areas that are entering the dry season are spread over a number of regions.
A total of 31 percent of regions have experienced dry conditions. This is calculated based on indicators of consecutive days without rain (HTH) or a series of dry days that vary from 21-30 days, 31-60 days, and above 61 days.
Areas that have experienced more than 30 days of dry days are:
- Bali – Bangli, Buleleng, Karangasem, Klungkung, Denpasar
- Yogyakarta
- Central Java – Karanganyar, Kebumen, Klaten, Purworejo, Sukoharjo, Wonogiri
- East Java – Bangkalan, Banyuwangi, Bondowoso, Gresik, Jember, Surabaya City, Lamongan, Madiun, Magetan, Malang, Mojokerto, Ngawi, Pacitan, Pamekasan, Pasuruan, Ponorogo, Sampang, Sidoarjo, Situbondo
- West Nusa Tenggara
- East Nusa Tenggara
- Selayar islands in South Sulawesi
Although a number of areas in the south of Indonesia are experiencing a dry season, BMKG has asked people who live in the equatorial area to be aware of the potential for heavy rainfall causing potential floods.
“Areas that haven’t experienced a dry season, especially near the equator, need to be on alert for high to very high rainfall and risks floods,” stated the BMKG’s written announcement.
Source: CNBC Indonesia
Image: Nusa Bali