Indonesia: 16 sub-districts in N Sulawesi brace for drought

Antara 2 Sep 19;

Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA) - Sixteen sub-districts in eight districts and municipalities in North Sulawesi have braced for drought during the current severe dry season, according to Muhamad Candra Buana, spokesman of the North Minahasa climatology station.

The eight districts and municipalities were Manado, Bitung, Bolaang Mongondow, North Bolaang Mongondow, East Bolaang Mongondow, Southeast Minahasa, North Minahasa, and Sitaro Islands, he said here on Monday.

In Bitung, severe dry spell affected the sub-districts of Aertembaga, North Lembeh and Matuari. In Manado, the drought-hit sub-districts were Mapanget, Malalayang and Bunaken. In Bolaang Mongondow, Bolaang and North Dumoga sub-distr4icts were hit by extreme dry season.

The other sub-districts facing drought were Central Siau and Tagulandang in Sitaro Islands, Kotabunan in East Bolaang Mongondow, West Likupang, East Likupang and Wori in North Minahasa, Ratahan in Southeast Minahasa, and Kaidipang in North Bolaang Mongondow District.

Based on data per September 1, 2019, the sub-districts have no rains for more than 31 days.

In the meantime, there have been no rains for the last 21 days in Pinogaluman sub-district in East Bolaang Mongondow District, Pineleng Sub-district in Minahasa District, Ratatotok Sub-district in Southeast Minahasa Tenggara, and Lirung Sub-district in Talaud Island District.

"We urge local inhabitants to remain vigilant of drought and possible fires," he said.

An El Nino-induced severe dry spell has cast a pall over 100 districts and cities in Indonesia's provinces of Aceh, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Most parts of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara have not received rains for nearly 60 days. The extreme dry season has impacted 102,746 hectares (ha) of agricultural area and ruined 9,358 ha.

The National Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast extreme dry season until September.

The government has forecast that the current drought, which is drier than that of last year, would spread to 28 out of the country's 34 provinces, and could affect 48,491,666 people.

Reporter: Karel AP, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution

Fire ravages 150 ha of land in East Kolaka: BNPB
Antara 1 Sep 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Fire has ravaged 150 hectares of land in East Kolaka District in Southeast Sulawesi, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Spokesman Agus Wibowo said.

"The 150 hectares of land are located in three villages in two subdistricts in East Kolaka," Wibowo said in a statement here on Sunday.

The East Kolaka Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has declared an emergency status, made effective for 11 days until September 11, over the fire that gutted the the Land Management Rights (HPL)-granted areas.

However, a water-bombing helicopter is not yet needed to support the firefighting mission, Wibowo said, adding that the land-based efforts to extinguish the fire were carried out by a joint team.

The team members came from those of the local disaster mitigation agency, military, police, as well as environment and forestry fire fighters and community members.

The efforts to extinguish the fire were also supported by two palm oil plantations, PT Antam Pomalaa and PT Sari, by providing water pumps.

The Southeast Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency had also sent more water pumps to the location on late Saturday (Aug 31).

Reporter: Martha Herlinawati S, Sri Hary
Editor: Rahmad Nasution