El Nino Entered Strong Category, BMKG Focuses on Preventing Drought and Karhutla

Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani. (Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press, Media, and Information Bureau)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that El Nino in Indonesia has entered the strong category. This condition increases the risk of drought and forest and land fires so that the government strengthens its anticipation steps.

Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani said the development of El Nino was one of the materials reported to President Prabowo Subianto in a meeting at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday, July 28.

"For now, the condition has entered a strong El Nino," said Faisal.

According to Faisal, BMKG prioritizes two mitigation steps. First, anticipate drought through weather modification operations to fill reservoirs. Second, reduce the risk of forest and land fires in vulnerable areas. Weather modification operations are carried out in collaboration with BNPB, the Ministry of Forestry, local governments, and a number of other parties.

A total of six provinces are the focus of treatment, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. Operations are also carried out on a situational basis in the Riau Islands and Aceh.

BMKG noted that weather modification operations that took place throughout 2026 were able to increase rainfall by around 30 to 40 percent in certain areas.