Bad News! Rote Ndao Becomes First Regency With Drought Emergency Status In NTT

Illustration of drought in NTT. (Photo via ANTARA/Aloysius Lewokeda)

KUPANG - Rote Ndao Regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) was declared a drought emergency. This status is given as a step to support the handling of the impact of drought in the area.

Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of NTT Province, Ambrosius Kodo said, Rote Ndao was the first district to establish a drought emergency status. "Of the 22 regencies/cities throughout NTT", he said, as quoted from Antara, Saturday, August 27.

Ambrosius said it is easier to mobilize all regional resources for disaster management with this status. In addition, local governments can also access the costs of unexpected funds in the APBD.

"If resources are not available, you can request in neighboring and provincial districts to the center, depending on the scale of the disaster", he said.

Ambrosius said his party also encouraged other local governments to establish a drought emergency alert status for handling the threat of drought as a whole.

Furthermore, he said, based on information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), all season zones (ZOM) in NTT are currently entering the dry season. Therefore, local governments and the community must be prepared with anticipatory steps to reduce the impact of drought.

Ambrosius suggested that farmers in NTT grow crops that do not need a lot of water, so they can have the opportunity to be harvested during the dry season.

In addition, the community also needs to anticipate the potential for forest and land fires. They are also advised not to take actions that can cause hotspots.

"Don't throw cigarette butts carelessly, especially in open areas. In addition, also be careful when clearing agricultural land by burning, because it can be fatal if the fire grows and is difficult to control", he said.