BMKG: Risk of Sharp Disaster Increases in the Christmas and New Year Period

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warns of the potential for an increase in hydrometeorological disasters during the Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 periods in line with the surge in rainfall in a number of regions of Indonesia. Rainfall is expected to reach 300 to 500 millimeters per month, falling into the high to very high category.

Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani said that increased rainfall intensity has the potential to trigger various disasters, such as floods, landslides, and high waves, especially in areas with increased community mobility during the year-end holidays.

"The peak of the rainy season coincides with the Christmas and New Year period. This condition increases the risk of heavy rain accompanied by lightning, strong winds, and high waves in a number of waters," said Teuku Faisal Fathani in his statement, Monday, January 15.

According to BMKG, the increase in rainfall is influenced by several factors, including the strengthening of the Asian Monsoon, atmospheric wave activity, and the emergence of cyclone seeds or tropical cyclones around Indonesia. BMKG projects high rainfall conditions to begin in the second week of December 2025 to the first week of January 2026.

The disaster vulnerability map shows that a number of areas have a fairly high level of risk. Sumatra Island has 749 vulnerable points for floods, landslides, and mudflows. The Java and Bali regions have 328 vulnerable points, Kalimantan 377 points, Sulawesi 401 points, Nusa Tenggara-Maluku 424 points, and Papua 184 vulnerable points.

Anticipating this potential, the government has activated 1,150 heavy equipment spread across various regions and sent early warnings to local governments to increase preparedness.

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Teuku Faisal Fathani appealed to the public to remain vigilant and not ignore weather information officially issued by the BMKG, especially for residents who plan to travel during the year-end holidays.

"We urge the public to continue to monitor the latest weather information from the BMKG and avoid activities or destinations that are in the path of disaster-prone areas," he said.

BMKG emphasized that the readiness of all parties, both local governments and the community, is the key to minimizing the impact of hydrometeorological disasters during the Christmas and New Year period.