La Nina Alert, Ganjar Explains This Area Has High Landslide Potential In Central Java

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (DOK VIA ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo anticipates landslides during the rainy season, especially in the face of the impact of La Nina which is predicted to come at the end of this year.

Ganjar said a number of areas in mountainous areas in Central Java have a high potential for landslides. This can be seen from the disaster vulnerability map.

"The Central Java area starts from a little Magelang, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, a little Kebumen, then Banyumas to Cilacap, these are areas that have a high potential for landslides," said Ganjar in the National Coordination Meeting on Anticipation of La Nina, seen in BMKG Youtube show, Friday, October 29.

In addition to the mountainous area, Ganjar also pays attention to the Pantura area. In this lowland, when the rainy season hits, it often experiences two disasters, namely landslides and tidal flooding.

"When this landslide occurred, there was an area in the northern coast that became our concern. If then the tidal wave went up plus rain, then the suffering was complete," said Ganjar.

Because of that, Ganjar claimed to have asked his staff to be prepared to anticipate potential disasters ahead of the rainy season which will be followed by the La Nina phenomenon.

In the event of a disaster, Ganjar asked all levels of the Central Java Provincial Government to save residents, then save possible property, and intensify flood and landslide control infrastructure work.

"To the Central River Basin, and our Water Resources Service, we ask to start checking rivers, especially those that are prone to disasters," said Ganjar.

"I ask the Environmental Service, as long as the rain continues, the plants should not stop. Continue to grow and increase the frequency until this rainy season is there," he continued.

As is known, La Nina is a phenomenon that is controlled by the difference in sea level temperature between the central Pacific Ocean and Indonesian waters, so that the sea surface temperature in Indonesian territory becomes warmer.

Currently, there is an anomaly or difference that has crossed the La Nina threshold, which is minus 0.61 on the first 10 days of October 2021. What happens is the flow of wet air masses from the Pacific Ocean to the territory of Indonesia which results in an increase in rain clouds which can increase rainfall.

This year's La Nina is expected to take place with weak to moderate intensity until February 2022. This condition is the same as the La Nina 2020 incident with the same intensity where the results of the BMKG study show that rainfall has increased in November, December 2021 and January 2022.