West Nusa Tenggara faces severe drought in nine regions

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has declared nine out of ten regencies and cities in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to be under a meteorological drought alert status. The affected areas include West Lombok, Central Lombok, East Lombok, North Lombok, West Sumbawa, Sumbawa, Dompu, Bima, and Bima City, covering a total of 38 districts.

Only Mataram City has not reached the alert level, currently remaining at the standby status. The drought is driven by an increasingly long period of consecutive rainless days. Notably, the Bolo Rain Station in Bima Regency has recorded 105 consecutive days without rain, placing it in the extreme drought category.

Experts attribute these conditions to a very strong El Nino, with a Nino 3.4 index of +2.99 degrees Celsius, which is predicted to persist until early 2027. Additionally, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is expected to last until October 2026. BMKG has advised the public to use water wisely to anticipate potential clean water crises.