Indonesia Deploys Task Forces and Weather Modification to Tackle El Nino Drought and Fires
President Prabowo Subianto ordered ministries to prepare for the drought and forest‑land fires expected from the 2026‑2027 super El Nino. Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono announced the mobilisation of ground and air task forces and the use of weather‑modification operations (OMC) in six provinces – Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
The head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Teuku Faisal Fathani, said BMKG will strengthen support by ensuring water availability in Indonesia’s 240 reservoirs and by wetting peatlands through periodic weather‑modification. The government also outlined agricultural counter‑measures: deployment of 100,000 water pumps, irrigation rehabilitation, drought‑tolerant seeds, optimisation of peatland, and the creation of new rice fields.
Experts warned that the simultaneous influence of El Nino and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole raises the risk of large‑scale forest fires. Additional officials, including Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, noted emerging hotspots beyond the six provinces, underscoring the broad geographic scope of the preparedness effort.
Entities: Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono · Andi Amran Sulaiman · El Niño 2026‑2027 · Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) · Ministry of Agriculture (Indonesia) · Ministry of Forestry (Indonesia) · Prabowo Subianto · President Prabowo Subianto · Raja Juli Antoni · Riau Province
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Ground and air task forces, including drones, will be mobilized for fire prevention and water resilience. (e51404ee-c151-4459-bcb8-34cebd13715f, aae1e072-5ec0-4c44-b440-d7f25d893840)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Weather modification operations will be carried out in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. (e51404ee-c151-4459-bcb8-34cebd13715f, aae1e072-5ec0-4c44-b440-d7f25d893840, 350e4c65-3098-40a9-b010-6fa50b783ce9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The weather‑modification effort involves coordination with the Ministry of Forestry and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). (350e4c65-3098-40a9-b010-6fa50b783ce9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BMKG will strengthen support to ensure water availability in reservoirs and wet peatlands. (350e4c65-3098-40a9-b010-6fa50b783ce9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Prof. Sudarsono Soedomo warned that a combined El Nino and positive Indian Ocean Dipole creates a high risk of forest fires. (b146b311-397b-456a-a29d-d89921f15c45)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Indonesia has 240 reservoirs, many of which will be filled to support hydroelectric power, irrigation and clean water. (350e4c65-3098-40a9-b010-6fa50b783ce9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 1–21 July 2026 Central Kalimantan recorded 117 hotspots, 30 fires and 27.09 ha burned. (b146b311-397b-456a-a29d-d89921f15c45)
- [● 6 SOURCES] President Prabowo Subianto ordered ministries to prepare for El Nino‑related drought and forest‑land fires. (e51404ee-c151-4459-bcb8-34cebd13715f, aae1e072-5ec0-4c44-b440-d7f25d893840, da4effae-358b-4824-9d55-5259b38bb880, 350e4c)