Anticipating the Drought Threat

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Residents take clean water assistance from the local government channeled by the Boyolali Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Kalinanas village, Wonosegoro district, Boyolali, Central Java, Friday (23/8/2019). As many as 5,000 liters of water in a tank was taken out by local residents within 14 minutes. If they are forced to buy, the residents must spend Rp 350,000-Rp 400,000 for a 5,000 liter water tank truck. Boyolali BPBD sends at least 15 tank trucks filled with clean water per day to areas that are experiencing a clean water crisis. According to Boyolali BPBD data, residents in 52 villages in eight districts in Boyolali are currently experiencing a clean water crisis due to drought.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warned of the potential of drought in the current dry season, which is extremely dry.

Based on an analysis dated August, 20, 2019, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) released an early warning about all zones in Jakarta and Banten seeing a worsened dry season. There are many areas in Banten and Jakarta that have seen no rains for more than 20 days and even more than 60 days. Some areas have a chance of rain, but with very low rainfall.

The threat of drought is not only in Banten and Jakarta. Other regions of Indonesia are also experiencing the same phenomenon. Forest and land fires (karhutla) occurred again in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Swift handling of the situation will make it easier for the threat of fire to be overcome.

One cause of the very dry season is the El Nino phenomenon, which is the warming sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The impact of El Nino in a number of regions in Indonesia brought about dry conditions and reduced rainfall.

As a tropical country on the equator, Indonesia experiences a cycle of dry and rainy seasons, in addition to other climate phenomena. Two of them are El Nino and La Nina. The La Nina phenomenon is marked by rainfall that is higher than normal.

KOMPAS/KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Residents in Slangit village, Klangenan district, Cirebon regency, West Java, fetch clean water assistance from the Cirebon Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency and local government-owned water company PDAM Tirta Jati, Wednesday (31/7/2019). Local residents depend heavily on irrigation water for bathing and washing during the dry season.

We have known about the climate events above, although we have not optimally managed the impact. What we still miss in taking climate change seriously.

Some members of the community do not believe that climate change has occurred. Almost all local administrations have not responded seriously. National policies in response to climate change have also not been widely disseminated.

Various research results and concrete evidence in the field show that global warming has occurred. Kompas daily (22/8/2019) has printed photos of melting icebergs in Greenland, Denmark. This has never happened before. Indonesia as an archipelagic country is also beginning to feel the effects of climate change. Sea water is starting to permanently engulf houses by the beach.

We need to take climate change seriously. The impact of the current drought and the incoming rainy season can be minimized if there is water management, a food supply and forest and land management.

The impact on the environment must be included in the calculations of business profits and losses and national economic growth.

One of the causes of our environmental problems is the excessive exploitation of nature. It is time for the government, the business world and the society to jointly calculate the externalities of economic and business activities. The impact on the environment must be included in the calculations of business profits and losses and national economic growth.

In encouraging investment, it is time for the government to also include environmental incentives and disincentives in our business and gross domestic product calculations.