Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has expressed concern that the country will face the threat of extreme weather conditions or El Nino in the near future. According to him, there is a high possibility of El Nino occurring in August 2023.
Luhut emphasized that the previous occurrence of El Nino in 2015 had a severe impact on Indonesia, including widespread drought and forest fires in several regions.
In his official Instagram account on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, he stated, “Learning from the experience of the previous El Nino in 2015, it has the potential to cause extensive drought and forest and land fires in several areas.”
Luhut pointed out that this would have a significant impact on the production of agriculture and mining, based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Furthermore, the potential contribution of food inflation to overall inflation in Indonesia could also be significant.
He explained that the reason for this is because it is estimated that 41% of rice fields will experience extreme drought during that year. Data from the World Food Programme even suggests that three out of five households will lose their income due to drought, and one out of five households will have to reduce their food expenses due to drought.
Therefore, Luhut urged all relevant ministries, agencies, and local governments to prepare early and take all necessary measures to prevent a repeat of the disastrous consequences that occurred eight years ago. He hopes that Indonesia can prepare weather modification technology as a weapon to combat El Nino.
“In difficult times like this, let us all remain vigilant and take care of each other, so that we can reduce the losses caused by the changing weather patterns together for the benefit of all Indonesian people,” he concluded.
In summary, the Indonesian government is preparing to face the possible occurrence of El Nino in August 2023. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, has called on all relevant parties to prepare early and take necessary measures to prevent a repeat of the disastrous consequences that occurred in 2015. He emphasized the potential impact of El Nino on agriculture, mining, and inflation in Indonesia and hopes that the country can prepare weather modification technology to combat the potential threat.
