BMKG Issues Meteorological Drought Warning Status for All of Yogyakarta
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Climatology Station for the Special Region of Yogyakarta has issued an early warning for meteorological drought with Alert status covering the entire region for the second ten-day period of August 2026. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index is in a very strong condition, which is expected to persist until December 2026.
In a press release, the Head of the Yogyakarta Climatology Station, Dr Mamenun, stated that based on analysis as of 10 August 2026, rainfall intensity across the region is expected to remain at very low criteria (0–10 mm per ten-day period), with rainfall generally below normal until November 2026.
August 2026 marks the peak of the dry season. The duration of the dry season ranges between 16 and 21 ten-day periods. “The Early Warning for Meteorological Drought for the second ten-day period of August 2026 places the entire Special Region of Yogyakarta under Alert status,” he explained.
Mamenun urged local governments and the public to increase preparedness in facing drought impacts that are more extreme than the annual average.
“We urge local governments, relevant agencies and the public to be better prepared and anticipatory regarding the impacts of the dry season, especially in areas vulnerable to meteorological drought disasters, such as forest and land fires and reduced availability of clean water,” Mamenun stressed in an official statement.
He added that this very strong El Niño phenomenon has a direct impact on reducing rainfall and extending the dry season period in Yogyakarta.
“In connection with the drought alert status across the entire Special Region of Yogyakarta, the public and stakeholders are expected to anticipate these conditions through efficient water resource management and adjusting activities according to regional conditions. The dry season is predicted to be drier than its climatological average,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the Mount Merapi National Park Office reported that approximately 13.6 hectares of the area were affected by fire on 9 August in the RPTN Srumbung area of Mount Merapi National Park. Fairly strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly, burning grass, cogon grass, shrubs and several other types of vegetation.
A joint team from the Mount Merapi National Park Office together with Manggala Agni, the Fire Care Community, and the Srumbung Police and Military Command successfully extinguished the fire at 6.45 pm local time.
Preliminary suspicion suggests the fire was linked to land clearing activity for manual mining. Further monitoring and information gathering will be carried out to ascertain the condition of the area.