La Nina would likely trigger floods in urban areas such as Jakarta.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The natural phenomenon of La Nina, which usually triggers a heavy rainy season in Indonesia, is forecast to begin in September 2016, according to the national meteorological, climatology and geophysics agency (BMKG).

"We continue to monitor the signs of La Nina, and we do not exactly know how it would be. El Nino is forecast to weaken after March, following which there will be a balance, and thereafter, La Nina will occur whose impacts would likely be felt in the end of 2016," Head of BMKGs Meteorology and Publication Department, Mulyono R. Prabowo, stated here, recently.

He could not forecast the intensity of La Nina, but it would usually be milder. He, however, cautioned inhabitants of the regions prone to landslides to be on alert.

La Nina would likely trigger floods in urban areas such as Jakarta, he pointed out.

"Southern Jakarta will experience high precipitation, and it will affect Central Jakarta," he noted.

Sea tides and the lack of water absorption areas could worsen the flooding.

"In such a situation, water pumps will not be effective," he remarked.

Both El Nino and La Nina have an impact on Indonesia, he affirmed.

El Nino usually causes a significant reduction in precipitation and triggers droughts such as what had occurred in 2015.

Prabowo has forecast high precipitation in February and March this year, and later it will slow down.

The meteorology agency and the Agriculture Ministry have developed a dynamic planting calendar to help farmers decide when to plant and which crops are suitable for planting in certain seasons.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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