Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has warned of the potential for hydrometeorological disasters following predictions the rainy season will arrive earlier than usual this year.
"All parties need to be aware, especially in areas prone to flooding, landslides and moving soil, that the intensity of rainfall will continue to increase," said BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati at a virtual press conference here on Thursday.
A number of areas in Indonesia are expected to record rain of higher intensity than usual, she informed.
These areas include Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, southern Riau, Java, Bali-Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, western to southern East Kalimantan, Sulawesi, western North Maluku, southern Seram Island, and southern Papua, she added.
Therefore, BMKG has appealed to local governments and communities to remain vigilant and take early mitigation efforts to avoid and reduce the risk of disasters, she said.
"The peak of the rainy season for the 2021/2022 period is predicted to occur in January-February 2022," said Karnawati.
Out of the 342 seasonal zones in Indonesia, 14.6 percent are predicted to see the rainy season start in September 2021, she informed adding, the areas include central Sumatra and parts of Kalimantan.
Related news: BMKG issues warning of extreme weather in parts of Indonesia
She further said that the rainy season will start in October 2021 in 39.1 percent of areas, including southern Sumatra, most of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java and Bali. Meanwhile, 28.7 percent of other areas, covering parts of Lampung, Java, Bali-Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi, will see rain start in October 2021, she added.
"Compared to the climatological average of the beginning of the rainy season in the 1981-2010 period, the start of the 2021/2022 rainy season in Indonesia is estimated to occur earlier in 157 season zones (or 45.9 percent of the areas), the same as in 132 season zones (or 38.6 percent of the areas), while the rainy season will occur later in 53 season zones (or 15.5 percent of the areas)," she said.
In general, the intensity of rain during the 2021/2022 rainy season is estimated to be normal or equal to the climatological average in 244 season zones (or 71.4 percent), while 88 season zones (or 25.7 percent of the area) will experience rainy season of higher intensity (wetter than usual), and 10 season zones (or 2.9 percent) will experience lower intensity rainy season, she added.
Related news: BMKG forecasts sunny, cloudy weather for most Indonesian regions
