Legislator: Need for Strengthening Information to Anticipate El Niño Impacts

Bandung - A legislator from Commission V of the West Java Provincial DPRD, Humairah Zahrotun Noor, has stressed the importance of strengthening information systems for parties potentially affected by the El Niño phenomenon, particularly in Bandung Regency. She explained that this phenomenon requires a response through the delivery of rapid, accurate, and easily accessible weather information to the public, enabling better preparedness in anticipation. She assessed that the impacts of El Niño are not always uniform across regions, making periodic information updates crucial so that communities can adjust their anticipatory measures accordingly. She encouraged the reinforcement of digital technology utilisation to support early warning systems, including direct notifications to people’s mobile phones. “If there is potential for weather dynamics, information can be sent directly to the public’s mobile phones. With increasingly widespread technology access, information delivery can become more effective,” she said. Humairah views that strengthening weather information must go hand in hand with local government technical measures so that El Niño mitigation can be carried out more measurably. According to her, collaboration between meteorological agencies, local governments, and the community will be key to ensuring optimal preparedness in facing weather pattern changes. Meanwhile, the Bandung Regency Government is strengthening drought mitigation measures as anticipation of the 2026 El Niño impacts. Bandung Regent Dadang Supriatna stated that drought-prone areas have been mapped to facilitate interventions during the dry season. “We have already identified areas that have the potential to experience drought. With that data, the distribution of clean water aid and other handling measures can be carried out more quickly,” he said. He added that the local government is also continuously coordinating with various parties to ensure readiness in the agricultural sector and the availability of clean water for the community.