Indonesia's BMKG warns of strong El Niño impacts across sectors
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says the 2026 El Niño has entered a strong phase and could intensify to a very strong event, extending the dry season through August‑September. Low to very low rainfall is forecast for much of Indonesia, raising drought risk and the likelihood of forest and land fires. By 2 August, BMKG recorded about 5,690 fire hotspots nationwide, with an 80‑90 % chance of drier conditions in Kalimantan, Papua and parts of Java from September to November.
The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre warns that the same El Niño will increase wildfire and trans‑boundary haze risk in southern Southeast Asia. In response, BMKG urges farmers to shift planting dates forward and adopt crop varieties suited to drier conditions, while also conducting weather‑modification operations to support reservoir water levels and humidify peatlands. The agency, together with the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), has drafted a cross‑sector policy response covering water resources, forestry, energy, health, the economy and food security, with implementation planned for the upcoming rainy season that should begin in mid‑October and mitigate the strongest impacts.
Entities: ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre · Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) · Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency) · El Niño · Fachri Radjab · Indonesia · Jakarta · Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) · Teuku Faisal Fathani · Tri Handoko Seto
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Low to very low rainfall is forecast for much of Indonesia in August‑September 2026, increasing drought risk. (ff5944d1-3d0d-4b14-9f38-9679bc7b9a72, b65490d6-7b58-4692-9aa4-1699e0b8e1a4)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BMKG and Bappenas have prepared a cross‑sector policy response covering water, forestry, energy, health, economy and food security. (b65490d6-7b58-4692-9aa4-1699e0b8e1a4)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BMKG recorded about 5,690 fire hotspots in Indonesia by 2 August 2026. (ff5944d1-3d0d-4b14-9f38-9679bc7b9a72)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BMKG advises farmers to shift planting dates forward and use drought‑resistant crop varieties. (762313a3-4c4b-447f-9757-cce227d32508)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Kalimantan, Papua and parts of Java have an 80‑90 % probability of drier conditions from September to November 2026. (ff5944d1-3d0d-4b14-9f38-9679bc7b9a72)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre warns increased wildfire and haze risk in southern Southeast Asia due to El Niño. (983dc0ac-7096-464d-abc2-928d52677c64)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The 2026 El Niño has entered a strong phase and could intensify to a very strong event. (ff5944d1-3d0d-4b14-9f38-9679bc7b9a72, 0430ee43-2680-4ee3-bcc7-6849a203e189, b65490d6-7b58-4692-9aa4-1699e0b8e1a4)