SULAWESI: The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has appealed to residents in Central Sulawesi province to stay alert as the potential impacts of the El Nino phenomenon could continue until January 2024.
Moh Fathan, a meteorologist at the BMKG’s Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Meteorology Station, said in Palu, the province’s capital city, on Thursday that rainfall could still occur in some areas during the period.
Due to the fact that the El Nino climate pattern can trigger a hotter dry season, locals need to remain alert for potential disasters such as wildfires, he added.
Therefore, people living in certain districts, such as Sigi, Poso, Tujo Una-Una, Morowali Utara, and Banggai, which may experience low rainfall, must take anticipatory measures to prevent potential wildfires, he added.
To prevent wildfires, residents should not burn agricultural waste. At the same time, they must also manage water resources and use them wisely, he said.
Amid the dry season, the Central Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded six occurrences of wildfires between August and the first week of September.
Antara reported earlier that the BMKG had projected that this year’s dry season would follow the same pattern as the one seen in 2019.
A total of 28 per cent of regions in Indonesia, which include 194 seasonal zones (ZOM) determined by the BMKG, were expected to experience the dry season from June this year.
BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati said the El Nino phenomenon, which is getting stronger due to the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), could trigger a drought during the dry season in Indonesia.
