TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Extreme weather has been gripping Central Papua as hails hit the region resulting in famine. “People’s corn crops were devastated by extraordinary cold temperatures. Thousands of Papuans in Central Papua are facing starvation. At least 6 people died,” the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Lieutenant General Suharyanto said in a discussion forum in Jakarta, Monday, July 31, 2023.

Suharyanto explained that extreme weather was a result of climate change. This has become a serious concern.

The government through BNPB performed efforts to mitigate the weather impacts, such as distributing aid directly to affected residents in the province.

BNPB in tandem with a number of ministries and state agencies, including the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Social Affairs Ministry, the Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Ministry, the National Food Agency is striving to reduce the impact of drought caused by El Nino, where the peak is predicted in September and October.

The government has prepared two strategies to weaken the impact of El Nino-induced drought, namely urging the availability of water in drought-prone areas and alerting forest and land fires.

As previous reports suggested, President Joko Widodo or Jokowi had ordered ministers to immediately mitigate the effects of extreme weather in Central Papua.

ANTARA

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