MOST DISASTERS IN INDONESIA CAUSED BY WEATHER, METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY WARNS

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, April 24 (Bernama) -- Nearly all natural disasters that occurred in Indonesia are now linked to weather and climate, according to the country’s meteorological agency.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said 95 per cent of disasters recorded in the country are hydrometeorological in nature, including floods, landslides, droughts and tropical storms.

The warning comes as 2024 has been declared the hottest year on record by the World Meteorological Organisation, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.

“This trend shows a consistent and worrying rise in global temperatures, including in Indonesia,” said the acting chief of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, in a statement.

She said the country’s increasingly complex climate was being shaped by a combination of natural factors and human activity such as population growth, land-use changes, and limited public understanding of disaster risks.

Among recent examples was the severe flooding in Jakarta in 2020, triggered by extreme rainfall in a short period, leaving at least 66 people dead and displacing more than 60,000 residents.

Dwikorita stated that BMKG has developed a multi-tiered early warning system to help communities prepare early; but challenges remain, especially in remote areas with poor communications infrastructure.

The agency is calling for stronger cooperation across government, emergency services, and local communities to improve disaster readiness.

“Early warnings are not the end of protection, they are the beginning of real action that can save lives and reduce losses,” she added.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported significant flooding across several provinces between April 14 and 20, with Central Sulawesi, Riau, North Sumatra, Central Java, Banten, and East Kalimantan among the worst affected.

-- BERNAMA