DEN: Data-driven contingency plans needed to prepare for El Niño and La Niña

Jakarta (ANTARA) – National Economic Council (DEN) Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government needs to prepare data-driven contingency plans for the El Niño climate phenomenon, which is expected to last until early 2027, as well as for the possibility of La Niña.

Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, Luhut said the council had reported to President Prabowo Subianto on the need to prepare contingency plans. Both El Niño and La Niña can have wide-ranging effects on the public, from food availability to the risk of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods.

“This means having contingencies for events that are beyond our control because they are natural phenomena, but can be predicted. So what steps should we take? For example, in preparing food supplies, when should planting begin, and so on,” Luhut said.

DEN Deputy Chair Mari Elka Pangestu said preparations were necessary because El Niño is forecast to continue through the first quarter of 2027, after which La Niña could potentially occur.

The council is urging the government to make use of data to prepare for the effects of both climate phenomena.

“We recommend using data effectively to identify areas that will experience drought, and preparing measures there, such as pumps and their appropriate use, and deciding when to plant. Planting may need to be postponed, for example, because of drought,” she said.

DEN is also calling for measures to anticipate floods and other disaster impacts. Particular attention should be paid to maintaining food availability, preventing food prices from surging and safeguarding food reserve stocks.

“Almost every El Niño event is accompanied by rising food prices, and this is something we really must anticipate,” Mari Elka said.

El Niño’s effects in Indonesia are expected to increase the risk of drought, water shortages and forest and land fires.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasts that the rainy season will begin later than usual in most parts of Indonesia, with its peak expected between December 2026 and February 2027.

When La Niña occurs in Indonesia, it can increase rainfall and raise the risk of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landslides.