PU Ministry Prepares Six Moves to Face Long Drought 2026

Acting Director General of Water Resources of the Ministry of PU Adenan Rasyid. (Photo: Ministry of PU)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) has prepared six main strategies to deal with the potential for a long dry season this year, which is expected to come earlier and last longer than normal conditions.

Acting Director General of Water Resources of the Ministry of PU Adenan Rasyid said that mitigation steps are important to be carried out early because of the wide impact on water, food and environmental resilience.

This was conveyed by Adenan at the Coordination Meeting (Rakor) of the Strategy for Mitigating and Managing the Impact of the Long Dry Season in 2026 in Jakarta, Monday, April 13.

"The 2026 dry season is expected to come earlier, last longer and have a drought rate above normal conditions. This condition is a serious threat to water, food and environmental resilience, so it requires planned, measured and integrated mitigation measures," Adenan said, quoted from a written statement, Tuesday, April 14.

Based on the study of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the 2026 dry season is predicted to coincide with the El Nino phenomenon which is estimated to begin in July with a weak to moderate intensity and a 50-80 percent chance.

This condition makes this year's dry season predicted to be drier than the climatological average.

The impact of drought is expected to spread to various sectors, ranging from reduced river flow, reduced reservoir volumes to depleted groundwater reserves.

In the agricultural sector, this condition has the potential to disrupt planting patterns, while in the environmental aspect, the risk of forest and land fires, especially in peat areas, also increases.

To anticipate this, the Ministry of PU has set six main strategies, namely optimizing water storage operations through priority-based allocation arrangements and real-time data.

Then, strengthening the irrigation network to minimize water loss, increasing the readiness of facilities and infrastructure so that all equipment is ready for operation.

Then adjust the planting pattern according to water availability and climatic conditions, accelerate the development of water resources infrastructure such as dams and irrigation as well as alternative water sources and optimize the functions of all water buildings.

Adenan emphasized that mitigation efforts require cross-sectoral collaboration, not just as the responsibility of one agency.

"We cannot avoid the dry season, but we can ensure that the impact does not develop into a crisis. Anticipation, speed and coordination are the keys we must keep together," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani stated that his party was ready to strengthen coordination with the Ministry of PU, especially in providing climatological data to support more targeted mitigation steps.

"We hope that in terms of climate, this water will not be too much or too little. If the water is too much, there will be wet hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods, landslides, and so on. But, if it is very little, there will be dry hydrometeorological disasters such as karhutla and drought," he concluded.