BMKG: Beware of La Nina Peak in December 2020, January 2021

Reading time: 4 menit
BMKG: Waspadai Puncak La Nina Desember 2020, Januari 2021
BMKG asks public to be aware of La Nina's peak in Desember 2020, Januari 2021. Foto: Shutterstock.

Jakarta (Greeners) – The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) confirmed the peak of La Nina in December 2020 to January 2021. The rise of La Nina in this period coincides with the country’s entry into the rainy season. La Nina phenomenon shows rainfall of up to 40 percent in most parts of Indonesia. Furthermore, BMKG predicts Indonesia’s rainy season will peak in January and February 2021.

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati says historical records show La Nina caused an increase in Indonesia’s accumulated monthly rainfall. The increase in rainfall ranges from 20 percent to 40 percent above the standard limit, or even more. However, Dwikorita continues, the impact of La Nina is not uniform across Indonesia.

In October-November 2020, the BMKG predicts an increase in monthly rainfall in almost all Indonesia regions except Sumatra. Furthermore, from December to February 2021, an increase in precipitation due to La Nina is predicted to occur in eastern Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, and Papua.

“We need to be aware of the peak of La Nina and this rainy season. The rainy season is in the range of December, January, and February,” says Dwikorita after attending the Limited Meeting (Ratas) via a video conference on Hydrometeorological Disaster Anticipation, Tuesday (13/10/2020).

The Government Encourages Public to Use BMKG Online Application

The government, through the Head of BMKG, then appealed to the public to be aware of the impact of La Nina by monitoring the BMKG application. Through the BMKG application, people will be able to find out micro scale predictions and early warnings in their respective regions.

“For example, if you live in Johar District in DKI Jakarta. We also prepare forecasts, predictions, and early warnings for the micro-scale at the sub-district level. Please always check, always monitor the information that reaches the sub-district level through the mobile phone application ‘BMKG Info,'” says Dwikorta.

BMKG: Waspadai Puncak La Nina Desember 2020, Januari 2021

The head of BMKG encourages the public to download the BMKG online application to monitor weather conditions in the area where they live. Photo: Special.

In the mobile-based application, she continues, BMKG provides weather information for each district in all parts of Indonesia. The mobile-application prediction is good for the next seven days. Weather forecasts are updated every 3 to 6 hours. Also, BMKG collaborates with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to urge local governments to ensure the public receives that information on weather developments. BKMG and BPBD also ask local governments to prepare anticipation steps for these developments.

Also read: Job Creation Law Offers Zero Percent Royalty for Mining Companies

President Joko Widodo urges his staff to anticipate La Nina Peak 2020-2021

In the Ratas, President Joko Widodo orders his staff to prepare and anticipate the possibility of a hydrometeorological disaster. He also asks for his instrument to monitor the impact of La Nina on various sectors in the country.

“The impact of La Nina on agricultural production, so that it is really calculated, (as well as) on the fisheries sector and also the transportation sector,” says President Jokowi.

BMKG: Waspadai Puncak La Nina Desember 2020, Januari 2021

President Joko Widodo instructed his staff to calculate and anticipate the impact of La Nina. Photo: Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia.

In facing the risk of natural disaster, the Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Juliari P. Batubara explains that the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) is promoting a Community-Based Disaster Management (CBDM) Program. Juliari claims that his party has prepared 40,000 volunteers and equipped villages in disaster-prone areas.

The point is that these disaster-prone areas can rely on their communities at the time of disaster as well as disaster mitigation,” says Juliari.

Besides, the Ministry of Social Affairs also prepares logistics and equipment stocks. Both food and essential equipment needed during a disaster.

“We have three warehouses and are also equipped with several warehouses in the province that cooperate with the local government,” says Juliari.

The government, he continues, wants to ensure that the affected communities have access to necessities when a disaster strike. In addition, Juliari ensures that his party provides masks and personal protective equipment to have no transmission of Covid-19.

“Maybe we will cooperate with the Ministry of Health. Is it possible in refugee camps? If there are refugee camps in disaster areas, for example, can we do testing? It could be a rapid test or PCR,” added Juliari.

Also read: Experts: Job Creation Law Weakens Environmental Protection Efforts

BMKG Monitors La Nina with International Climate Service Centers

In early October 2020, BMKG and other climate service centers such as the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, United States; Bureau of Meteorology, Australia; Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan, has confirmed that La Nina phenomenon will occur at a moderate level following the start of the rainy season in Indonesia.

Until the end of September 2020, BMKG monitoring of global climate anomalies in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean showed the development of La Nina. The ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation) index shows that sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific regions have been cold for six decades.

From the monitoring results, La Nina anomaly value has passed -0.5 ° C, which is the threshold for La Nina category. The development of the anomalous value of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific regions is -0.6 ° C in August and -0.9 ° C in September 2020.

Reporter: Dewi Purningsih

Editor: Ixora Devi

Top