According to Deputy for Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin, President Jokowi gave the instruction during a meeting with Bakar at the Presidential Palace, Friday.
"The president reminded that this year's dry season will be longer because the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that 2023 will experience a dry season that is longer as compared to the previous years," he noted in his written statement on Friday.
To this end, he said, President Jokowi had called on the Environment and Forestry Ministry to anticipate the long dry season through coordination and cooperation with relevant institutions.
Earlier, Machmudin explained that Minister Bakar was summoned by President Jokowi to discuss the issue of air pollution that has been worsening lately, especially in Jakarta.
Related news: BNPB watchful of dry season in June-August
Meanwhile, Bakar reported to the president regarding the readiness to participate in the COP28 Summit that will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates in late 2023.
"(The minister) also reported about the air pollution monitoring devices that are owned," he added.
Recently, Jakarta's air quality has been under the spotlight, as data from IQAir showed that as of Thursday (June 15), Jakarta's air quality index ranked the third worst in the world, with an index of 141, right after Doha, Qatar, with an index of 149, and Minneapolis, the US, with an index of 191.
Regarding the anticipation of the dry season, BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati stated that Indonesia is currently confronted with two climate phenomena -- El Nino and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) -- that occur at the same time.
The two present the potential for a dry season or even drought like in 2019.
The agency has forecast the peak of the dry season in 2023 to occur between July to September, with a coverage of 582 season zones, from a total of 699 season zones in Indonesia.
Related news: Save water, says BMKG as dry season begins
Related news: Eight percent of Indonesian regions enter dry season: weather agency
Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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