The Head Of BMKG Pending The Water Crisis Could Be A Serious Threat For All Countries

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati. (Photo via ANTARA/BMKG)

JAKARTA - Head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, said that the water crisis is increasingly a serious threat to all countries. This is due to climate change that disrupts the hydrological cycle.

Dwikorita said that the water crisis would become a global crisis that every country must immediately anticipate.

"It doesn't matter if it's a developed or developing country," Dwikorita said in his official statement in Jakarta, Saturday, February 18.

Dwikorita said the increase in greenhouse gas emissions would have an impact on increasing the rate of increase in air temperature. It will also have an impact on climate change phenomena.

Uncontrollable greenhouse gas emissions trigger the faster the surface water evaporation process. This condition can result in the availability of water decreasing faster.

On the other hand, there will be excessive rain in other locations or hemispheres. Both surface and ground water are decreasing, then affecting the availability of clean water around the world.

Not to mention extreme climate change has caused the process of falling rain to be extreme and uneven.

Dwikorita highlighted that if the water crisis and extreme climate conditions continue, it is feared that it will have an impact on the food crisis in the world.

He gave an example in 2022, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that drought and water scarcity had hit Europe, West North America, West South America, the Mediterranean, Sahel, South America, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Australia.

"But at the same time, floods also occurred in Easton Sahil, Pakistan, Indonesia, to East Australia. So, once again drought and floods are the same impact as a result of the rapid pace of climate change which is exacerbated by environmental damage," he said.

According to him, climate change also triggers extreme events, especially droughts and floods.

Previously, the span of events was around 50-100 years, now the time span is getting shorter or the frequency is getting more frequent with increasing intensity or duration.

Therefore, he asked all countries to mitigate and reduce the serious impact of climate change. One of them is through the World Water Forum 2024 which will be held in Bali.

"It is hoped that it will be able to increase commitment and cooperation in global water management in a sustainable manner. The current situation is a serious alarm for all of us. We need to work together, think together, and solve common problems," he said.