NTT Enters the Dry Season in April, Beware of the Impact of Extreme Drought

East Nusa Tenggara will soon enter the dry season in April 2024. Beware of extreme drought in August-November 2024.

KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Head of the BMKG Climatology Station in Lasiana, Kupang, Rahmatullah Adji (center), accompanied by Ruth Apriana (left), a forecaster at the Lasiana Climatology Station, and moderator Fera Adrinita (right), also a climatology forecaster at Lasiana, on Tuesday (26/3/2024).

KUPANG, KOMPAS — Starting April 2024, East Nusa Tenggra is predicted to enter the dry season. Residents are asked to be aware of the extreme drought that will occur from August to November 2024.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency NTT also appealed to farmers who are still preparing land to choose short-lived types of plants that are able to adapt to drought. Food assistance is directly handled by the National Food Agency.

Head of the Climatology Station of BMKG Lasiana, Kupang, NTT, Rahmatullah Adji, when releasing the prediction of the dry season in 2024 in Kupang on Tuesday (26/3/2024), said that previously the rainy season zone in NTT occurred in November-December. However, the zone in 2023 experienced a setback, beginning in January 2024 with the peak of the rainy season in February-March 2024.

"In April 2024, it is predicted that the entire NTT region will enter the dry season. The peak of the dry season will occur from August to November 2024. This season transition is closely related to the shift from the westerly winds or Asian monsoon to the easterly winds or Australian monsoon. It is predicted that the beginning of the dry season will occur simultaneously with the active Australian monsoon in April 2024, which will start in NTT and Bali," said Adji.

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The early dry season occurred in 10 regions. Meanwhile, the normal start of the dry season occurs on the 11th region and the delayed dry season on the 7th region.

Also read: El Nino Threatens, NTT Farmers Need Assistance

KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Seminar participants attended online from 22 districts/cities. They included representatives from the National Food Agency, the Department of Agriculture, Plantation, and Horticulture, the NTT Provincial Government, as well as farmer representatives, on Tuesday (26/3/2024).

One district/city can have more than one zone. Areas that experience the dry season are more advanced, including Pantar Island in Alor District, the western and northern parts of Alor, the central and southeastern parts of Alor. Also, the northern part of East Flores, Adonara, and Solor, as well as Southwest Sumba, the western part of West Sumba, and the southeastern part of East Sumba.

Regencies experiencing normal dry season around mid-April include the northern part of Kupang Regency, the western part of East Flores Regency, Sikka Regency, the northern part of North Central Timor (TTU), and all of Lembata Regency.

As for the areas that are experiencing a delayed dry season or approaching the end of April, they include the central part of South Central Timor (TTS), the eastern part of West Sumba, the southern part of Central Sumba, and the central part of East Sumba.

The peak of the dry season in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is generally predicted to occur in August 2024, in 18 zones. However, there are also areas that experience the peak of the dry season in July 2024, namely nine zones, and the peak of the dry season occurs in one zone in September.

The early dry season occurred in 10 regions. Meanwhile, the normal start of the dry season occurs on the 11th region and the delayed dry season on the 7th region.

Some small parts of TTS district, TTU district, and Malaka district are experiencing below-normal or drier dry seasons. Residents are advised to be vigilant of extreme droughts that often occur during the peak of the dry season.

Droughts always threaten certain regions of NTT, such as the difficulty in obtaining clean water for both the needs of residents and livestock.

Also read: Extreme Drought Living Subscriptions for NTT Community

KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Head of the Lasiana Climatology Station, Kupang, Rahmatullah Adji delivered material from the Lasiana Climatology office meeting room, Tuesday (26/3/2024).

Extreme drought often coincides with the risk of extreme food shortages in several regions of East Nusa Tenggara. The district government, which has long been prone to food insecurity with issues such as malnutrition and acute respiratory infections, is urged to prepare for the peak of the dry season. Local food should be prepared from now on so as not to always rely on rice, including government assistance rice.

The Coordinator of the Group of Village Farmers in Pukdale District, East Kupang, Kupang regency, Marthen Rafael, who attended the event, regretted the information conveyed by BMKG NTT was somewhat late. Currently, most of the 150 farmers in the village are preparing their rice fields for cultivation.

"The farmers who have prepared hundreds of hectares of rice fields will certainly be disappointed. Whether the rice fields being worked on are abandoned or continued, or what crops are planted, we don't know the solution. If this information had been conveyed earlier, we would not have worked on the rice fields," he said.

Many farmers do not have smartphones to keep up with information from BMKG. Field agricultural extension officers also rarely accompany farmers. If they do appear, they do not provide detailed information about when the planting season begins.

Adji requested that local authorities, relevant institutions, and the community be more prepared and anticipative towards the possible impacts of the dry season, especially areas that are experiencing below-normal or extreme drought seasons. These regions are at risk of facing increased risks of drought disasters, forest and land fires, water shortages, and the threat of food insecurity.

Also read: Extreme Drought in NTT Widespread

KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Frengki Tamoneb (56), a farmer from Oesao Village, Kupang Tengah District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, carries a jerry can of water to his neighbor's rice field. The water, which was just taken from his neighbor's well, will be used to irrigate his own cabbage crops.

"Pemdadi is expected to more optimally store water at the end of the rainy season to fill the reservoirs of lakes, dams, ponds, retention basins, and other man-made water storage areas through harvesting rainwater movements. It is also necessary to anticipate above-normal drought seasons, or wetter than normal, especially for types of plants that are sensitive to high rainfall such as horticulture," said Adji.

The head of the NTT Regional Disaster Management Agency, Ambrosius Kodo, who attended virtually, stated that they have collaborated with the United Nations World Food Programme in developing a disaster contingency plan by the end of 2023. Furthermore, they have also mapped out areas that are vulnerable to drought disasters. If a drought or other type of disaster occurs, they will deal with it immediately along with the relevant parties.

Many farmers do not have smartphones to keep up with information from BMKG. Field agricultural extension officers also rarely accompany farmers. If they do appear, they do not provide detailed information about when the planting season begins.

He said that when it comes to providing food aid for areas experiencing crop failure or other types of disasters, it is no longer the responsibility of the local government. Food assistance for disaster-affected areas will be delivered to the National Food Agency.

"Now the regulations have changed. Regarding direct food assistance, it is handled by the central government through the National Food Agency after a decision has been made by the local government regarding the disaster," he said.