...there must be a massive movement (to collect rainwater).
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Acting deputy for climatology at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Dodo Gunawan, has appealed to the public to collect rainwater before the dry season begins in Indonesia.

"Take advantage of the rainwater (availability) at the end of this rainy season. In fact, we always advise (people) to store rainwater every time the dry season is about to start, so it can be used during the dry season," he told ANTARA on Friday.

He also advised the community to allow rainwater to get absorbed by the ground for environmental reasons.

One of the government’s programs to increase rainwater absorption into the ground has involved the establishment of biopores — infiltration holes made to improve groundwater reserves and prevent flooding.

"Do not let rainwater just flow into bodies of water, such as ditches or rivers. Manage it so that it can be absorbed into the ground," the acting deputy stressed.

He stated that the collected rainwater would also be very useful for agriculture.

"It (the rainwater) should also be collected for agriculture, either in retention basins or in holes along the river banks," he added.

Later, farmers can pump the collected water for their fields, Gunawan said.

Furthermore, he advised all households to collect rainwater in large basins.

He emphasized that the efforts to collect rainwater cannot be carried out by the government or BMKG alone, hence, there should be a massive information dissemination in this regard, supported by the social community and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“…we (the government and social organizations) can work together, thus people can also be aware and contribute to collecting rainwater, there must be a massive movement (to collect rainwater),” the acting deputy remarked.

Regarding the high temperatures recorded in Indonesia recently, he said that this has been due to the current position of the sun.

In addition, Indonesia is about to enter the dry season in May, he noted.

"In April, (in fact) shortly after March 23 (2023), (when the sun) crosses the equator… the temperature reaches its maximum level in Indonesia. It occurs following the pattern of the sun’s path…," he explained.


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Translator: Lintang Prameswari, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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