Indonesia facing longer and more severe dry season this year, weather agency warns

Indonesia is expected to experience a longer and more severe dry season in 2026 compared to last year, the country's meteorological agency warned on Wednesday, raising the likelihood of drought.

Here are the details:

• The dry season will come in April, earlier than last year in most provinces of Indonesia, and is expected to peak in August, said agency official Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan.

• Last year, Indonesia's wet season had a longer-than-usual peak period, resulting in extreme rainfall in most regions and causing the deadly Sumatran floods and landslides that killed more than 1,100 people.

• The weather pattern known as La Nina, which usually brings more rainfall, ended in February, the official said.

• Most provinces on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo and Nusa Tenggara are expected to have a more severe dry season this year, the agency said.

• Ardhasena warned of the higher risk of drought in these provinces.

• "We need to pay attention, especially to areas that become centres of food production, such as Java island," he said.

• The agency advised farmers to adjust planting schedules and choose crop varieties that are "more drought resistant and have shorter growing cycles".

• The agency also warned of the risk of forest fires during the dry season peak in fire-prone provinces like Riau and Jambi.

-Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway/Reuters