TEMPO.CO, Cirebon - The El Nino weather phenomenon is forecasted to hit Indonesia in July, causing severe drought. “We have to be wary of El Nino that will arrive July because it will cause low rainfall,” said Pujiono, the chief of Jatiwangi Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), on Tuesday.
According to Pujiono, rainfall during the dry season will at the tune of 50 ml a month, but the figure is bound to slip when El Nino arrives.
Puji said people, especially farmers, had to be wary of drought. “Farmers who utilize the rainfed system should refrain from planting for a while,” he said. “But for farmers who use the irrigation system may still be able to plant.”
Dry season in Cirebon is predicted to occur from May to September, with the peak occuring in August.
Bayu Satya Aji, Jatiwangi BMKG’s forecaster, said El Nino would affect people residing on the lowland the most, such as Indramayu regency. During El Nino, temperature in Indramayu regency is estimated to reach 35 degrees Celsius. “People have to be prepared in facing in El Nino phenomenon in the dry season,” he said.
IVANSYAH