Since May, 9 Regions In Central Java Have Been Drought By El Nino

Illustration of drought in NTB (ANTARA)

SEMARANG - The Department of Agriculture and Plantation of Central Java Province intervened in nine districts prone to drought due to being affected by the El Nino phenomenon.

"The intervention in dealing with El Nino is carried out by implementing climate change impact management activities," said Head of the Central Java Province Agriculture and Plantation Service Supriyanto, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, June 26.

He detailed the activities of handling the impact of climate change, including pipeline assistance, water pumps, the construction of pantek wells, the construction of reservoirs, and the means of making organic fertilizers.

He said reports of drought in the 2023 rice plant had occurred in April.

As of May, drought in rice plants was reported in nine districts, namely Rembang, Blora, Grobogan, Kendal, Brebes, Pekalongan, Purbalingga, Banyumas, and Cilacap.

In addition, until May 2023, there have also been attacks by plant-disturbing organisms (OPT), such as rice-barreled stalks (PBP), brown-barreled sap (WBC), mice, fake white pests, siit walang, blasts, bacterial leaf hawars, and tungro.

"For this reason, pre-emptive control is carried out in endemic areas by using environmentally friendly and responsive materials in areas affected by OPT by using chemicals wisely," he said.

Central Java's Distanbun also provides mitigation and adaptation recommendations to district/city regional heads in regulating the planting pattern for climate change during the planting period (MT) III, one of which is by planting rice varieties that are tolerant of drought such as Situbagendit, Inpago, and Ciherang varieties or planting palawija commodities and accelerating rice planting, maximum in mid-June 2023.

"So that at the peak of El Nino the age of the plant is safe from water shortages or drought hazards," he said.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has prepared a number of mitigation schemes to deal with the El Nino phenomenon which has an impact on the dry season to be longer and less rainfall.

"The mitigation scheme includes issuing government food reserves to optimizing village funds, district/city Bulog, everything must be ready, we have prepared a food loss and food waste campaign," he said.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that the El Nino phenomenon hit Indonesia this year which has a prolonged dry season.

The peak of the El Nino phenomenon will occur in August 2023 so that the government through the Ministry of Agriculture seeks to prepare mitigation measures so that drought disasters can minimize the number of crop failures at the farmer level.