Above Normal Rains in Half of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java: Prediction

TheIndonesia.id - Head of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati in a statement urged to exercise caution over hydrometeorological disasters in 2022.

"While the rainfall is estimated to be lighter as compared to that in 2021, the government and people should still be wary of potential hydrometeorological disasters," she noted.

Karnawati explained that several regions are estimated to receive monthly rainfall above the normal rate.

Above normal rains are projected in January in regions comprising Central to North Sumatra, East and North Kalimantan, West Java, half of Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua.

This weather forecast is also for half of Sumatra, half of Java, East Kalimantan, North Maluku, and Papua for the month of February.

Meanwhile, North Sumatra, Java, North Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, and half of Papua are expected to experience above-normal rainfall in March.

"The negative and positive effects caused by the climate should still be mapped out. Above average rainfall could be utilized to ensure meeting the needs for water resources, farming, and the forestry sector," Karnawati noted.

To address the negative impacts, the regional governments and the public should be wary, adopt precautionary measures, and conduct mitigation to avoid and reduce the risk of hydrometeorological disasters, she added.

In the long term, the government should evaluate and improve water management by taking into account the impact of climate change at the global, regional, and local levels.

This is done as a precautionary measure against the increasing frequency and intensity of hydrometeorological disasters.

Meanwhile, Karnawati noted that the temperature in 2022 will be far higher than the average rate, at around 26.6 degrees Celsius. This increasing temperature trend will continue in Indonesia.

However, 2016 remains the hottest year on record, with an anomaly figure of 0.8 degrees Celsius throughout the 1981-2020 observation period.