The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued an early warning for a meteorological drought in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province.
“Currently, 96 percent of the total season zone in NTT is still in the dry period, so related parties need to be aware of the potential for a drought disaster,” Head of the Kupang BMKG Class II Climatology Station Rahmattulloh Adji informed in a statement received here Tuesday.
Regarding the dry season period and its potential impact on the NTT region, he said the data for days without rain (HTH), which was updated on July 20, 2022, has shown that several areas in NTT have experienced a series of dry days for 21–61 days.
Rainfall probability forecasts have indicated more than 70 percent probability of very low rainfall (less than 20 millimeters/10 consecutive days) in some areas.
“With this kind of condition, the threat of drought has the potential to occur, so people in NTT need to be aware of it,” Adji said.
A drought could potentially have a number of impacts, for example, it could affect the rain-fed system in the agricultural sector, he explained.
Then, a drought disaster could also reduce the availability of groundwater, leading to a scarcity of clean water for the community.
A drought could also increase the potential of fires spreading quickly due to high ad dry wind conditions during the dry season.
To overcome this, local governments and communities can carry out various mitigation efforts to reduce the impact of losses due to a potential drought, Adji said.
Source: Antara News