Preventing Drought Ahead of the Dry Season, Jakarta Residents Urged Not to Burn Waste and Conserve Water

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned several regions in Indonesia about potential drought and forest fires during the dry season. The Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov DKI) has confirmed that anticipatory measures have been prepared to mitigate the impacts.

Special Assistant to the Governor of Jakarta, Chico Hakim, explained that Governor Pramono Anung is taking preparations for extreme weather, especially the dry season, very seriously. Moreover, the seasonal impacts could affect water supply and air quality.

‘The strengthening of early warning systems and monitoring. The Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is collaborating with BMKG to monitor drought-prone points and fire hotspots through the Sipongi Plus app and satellite data. This includes monitoring the city’s forests and peatlands around Jakarta for early detection,’ he told reporters on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

In addition, he said the DKI Department of Landscaping and City Forests (Distamhut) regularly conducts integrated patrols in city forest areas and fire-prone lands. The patrols involve Satpol PP, the TNI-Polri, and local communities.

‘This is to prevent fires caused by human activity, as well as to maintain vegetation that can retain water,’ he said.

The Jakarta Provincial Government is also optimising groundwater management through regulations, including Governor Regulation Number 5 of 2026. He said they will continue to educate the public to conserve water and to prevent groundwater exploitation that could worsen drought.

‘We urge residents to be vigilant, such as avoiding burning waste, reporting hotspots via 112, and participating in energy-saving actions and climate protection,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Isnawa Adji, head of the Jakarta BPBD, said his agency together with related departments will map drought-prone areas. He said the BPBD is also working with PAM Jaya to distribute clean water to affected areas.

‘BPBD also has six clean-water tanker trucks,’ he said.

Besides drought, the risk of fires is also a major concern. He urged the public not to burn waste.

‘Another measure is to anticipate fire hazards that are prevalent in the dry season, and the advice not to burn waste,’ he said.

BMKG Dry Season Forecast for 2026

Earlier, BMKG predicted that the 2026 dry season in Indonesia would arrive earlier. BMKG reminded regional heads to anticipate potential declines in air quality and forest fires.

‘The environmental sector needs to prepare rapid response mechanisms by local governments to anticipate possible declines in air quality. Finally, for the forestry and disaster management sectors we need readiness for the potential of drought and forest and land fires in the coming dry season,’ said Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, Deputy for Climatology at BMKG, at a BMKG online press conference on Wednesday, 4 March.

Ardhasena said the dry season in Indonesia is expected to start earlier. It is set to begin in April. In total, 46.5 percent or 320 wet-season zones will experience the dry season earlier this year.

He also said BMKG has mapped areas likely to experience drought during the dry season. These are regions where rainfall is below normal or dry.

The following areas are potentially drought-prone when the dry season arrives:

Aceh

South Sumatra

Lampung

Java Island

Bali

NTB

NTT

West Kalimantan

Central Kalimantan

South Kalimantan

East Kalimantan

Sulawesi

Maluku

North Maluku

Papua