(Indonesia, 31st) Indonesia is facing a severe challenge brought by the overlapping of El Niño and the dry season. On July 30, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency stated that the current El Niño event is expected to continue until early 2027, further worsening the drought situation.
According to a Xinhua report, the head of the Agency, Teku, introduced that as of mid-July, 54.5% of the country's seasonal climate regions had entered the dry season, with the peak of the dry season expected in August.
This June, the national average rainfall hit one of its lowest levels for the same period in nearly 30 years, indicating that this year's dry season is drier than usual.
The drought has already affected people's livelihoods. According to a recent report from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, many people and farmers in Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, as well as parts of Sumatra, are facing shortages of water for production, daily life, and drinking.
Prolonged drought has also led to reduced river flows and declining reservoir water levels.
Rice is Indonesia's most important food crop. As the drought intensifies, rice production has been affected, and agricultural production in many regions across the country has been impacted.
With the continuation of the dry season, the risk of forest and land fires in Indonesia has further increased. As of the end of July, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency of Indonesia had already detected over 5,000 hotspots, and predicts that August to September will enter a high-risk period for forest and land fires, with several provinces listed as key prevention areas.