Member of Commission IV of the DPR from the PKB Faction, Usman Husin, urged the government to immediately launch emergency mitigation steps to anticipate forest and land fires (karhutla) and extreme drought which is projected to roll until May 2027.
This was said by Usman in response to the threat of an extreme climate crisis after the El Nino phenomenon was reported to have strengthened with an intensity of 98 percent. This dry cycle has been recorded to have started hitting since May 2026.
Usman also warned that the relevant ministries should not be slow to move considering that the impact of this El Nino has the potential to trigger massive economic losses in the food sector.
"The opportunity for extreme El Nino is in front of our eyes, reaching 98 percent. The government should not wait until the forest is on fire and the rice fields are cracked before they are busy acting. Mitigation must begin now in a measured and coordinated manner," said Usman Husin, Wednesday, July 1.
This NTT-based legislator asked the government to prioritize Central and Eastern Indonesia which are geographically most vulnerable to drastic rainfall reduction. According to him, the two main sectors that must be saved are domestic clean water reserves and water supply for people's agricultural irrigation.
As a concrete step upstream, Usman encouraged the optimization of Weather Modification Technology (TMC) or artificial rain operations to fill the capacity of reservoirs, ponds, and water catchment areas before the peak of drought arrives.
"Weather modification strategies must be maximized in the Central and Eastern Indonesia regions. Deploy technology to secure water reserves in reservoirs and dams. This is our first defense against prolonged drought," he said.
In the downstream sector, Usman proposed accelerating the emergency pipanization infrastructure project. This scheme is carried out by drawing a pipeline network directly from the nearest water source to the expanse of fertile farmland that is starting to have difficulty obtaining water supply.
This tactical step is considered urgent to protect the production capital that farmers have spent to buy seeds and fertilizers, as well as fortifying national food security from the threat of crop failure (puso).
"Farmers have sacrificed time, energy, and huge capital to cultivate land. Don't let their hard work end in bankruptcy just because the country is late in anticipating the climate. If food production falls, commodity prices in the market soar, and the wider community will bear the consequences," concluded Usman.
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