Indonesia gears up for heavy rainfalls as La Nina phenomenon comes

Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-17 19:11:42|Editor: huaxia

JAKARTA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency has expected parts of the country to experience an anomalous intensity of rainfall in the near future.

They include provinces of Lampung, South Sumatra, West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Riau, among others, head of the agency Dwikora Karnawati said after attending a virtual cabinet meeting here on Tuesday.

On the La Nina phenomenon, Karnawati pointed out that in the October-November period, the phenomenon would affect most of the Indonesian areas except Sumatra.

"Although La Nina will not affect Sumatra, the intensity of monthly downpours is high as it could reach 400 millimeters per month occurring from the tip of Aceh province to the southern tip of Lampung province," she noted.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on relevant authorities to anticipate and gear up for possible natural disasters and La Nina's impacts on various sectors in Indonesia.

"Impacts of La Nina on agricultural products should be well calculated. The same should also be done on the sectors of fisheries and transportation," the president told a cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday.

So far this year, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency recorded 2,256 natural disasters including floods, whirlwinds, landslides and forest fires, which left 307 people dead, 25 missing and 469 injured.

The disasters also damaged 34,100 houses, 641 educational facilities, 672 houses of worship and 131 health facilities. Enditem

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