Agency warns that weather phenomenon La Nina can cause heavy rainfall across the country until February.
THE Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the current La Nina weather phenomenon could increase accumulated precipitation in Indonesia by up to 40%, with heavy rainfall expected in several regions across the archipelago.
“However, La Nina effects different regions in Indonesia differently,” BMKG’s climatology deputy head Herizal said on Saturday.
In October and November, increased rainfall may occur in all regions but Sumatra, while from December until February 2021, heavy rainfall could possibly continue in the eastern part of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku and Papua, he continued.
Among the regions that will enter the rainy season this month are the east coast of Aceh, part of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka Island, Lampung, Banten, part of West Java, part of Central Java, part of East Java, part of East Kalimantan, part of North Kalimantan, part of Sulawesi island, North Maluku and part of West Nusa Tenggara.
La Nina, the periodic cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, tends to cause extreme weather in the archipelago.
Herizal said heavy rainfall triggered by La Nina could result in floods and landslides.
Therefore, the agency urged local governments and related agencies to optimise their integrated water management systems, from upstream to downstream, by, among other measures, optimising the flow capacity of rivers and canals to handle excess runoff.