RI BRACING FOR DROUGHT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 16 (ANTARA) - Haze, which is the omen of the arrival of annual drought, has once again begun to disturb people's activities in Sumatra and Kalimantan and has even threatened neighboring countries.

        Haze produced by forest and plantation fires in Riau province has the potential of drifting to neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned.

        The problem of haze in Indonesia is only one of the impacts that follow during the annual dry spell, much less if it is coupled with the rage of El Nino.

        El Nino, a climate phenomenon with a significant influence on global weather, ocean conditions and marine fisheries, is predicted to hit the Asian region, including Indonesia, later this year or early in 2010.

        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists announced the arrival of El Nino last week. "Advanced climate science allows us to alert industries, governments and emergency managers about the weather conditions E Nino may bring so these can be factored into decision-making and ultimately protect life, property and the economy,' Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, said in its Website.

        With regard to, the Indonesian government is taking anticipatory steps in the face of the El Nino, the periodic warming of central and eastern tropical Pacific waters, which occurs on the average every two to five years and typically lasts about 12 months.

        In making its anticipatory efforts, the Indonesian government even realizes that it would need a lot of funds that could even increase its budget deficit to 1.7 percent of its national gross product.

        "The government anticipatory efforts to face the threat of possible El Nino-triggered drought might expand state budget deficit from about 1.5 percent to 1.7 percent," Minister for National Development Plan/Head of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), Paskah Suzetta said on Thursday.

        He said that El Nino with a prolonged drought was expected to hit the Asian region and Australia later this year and until next 2010. "We have to refer to our experience in 1997 when we were forced to import 5 million rice," he added.

        President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued last March a presidential decree on the handling of water resources in the face of drought and the possible arrival of El Nino in 2010.

        Suzetta himself attended a coordination meeting the government held to discuss the handling of water resources and possible El Nino-triggered drought.

        "An Ad Hoc committee has been established to discuss various polices with regard to water resources and river basin as well as river flow areas," the minister said.

        Through the presidential decree, the president also ordered a number of parties to build infrastructures for the interest of the agricultural sector. "This is the example of efforts that would increase the state budget deficit," the minister said.

        He said that El Nino would bring in not only food problem but also ill-effects as a result of a protracted drought, including health problems.

        The minister predicted however the El Nino in 2010 would not hamper efforts to preserve and increase the welfare of the people in 2010.

        "We will continue to make the efforts and maintain the people's purchasing power and curb inflation. We will also prepare various programs which ad hoc in nature to improve the people's purchasing power," the minister added.

        President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself emphasized to make preparations and anticipatory steps in the face of El Nino-triggered drought that could disturb food production and water supply.

        "The government is obliged to carry out studies on the El-Nino waves and to take anticipatory steps in the face of possible El-Nino," the president said after holding a coordination meeting at his office on Thursday.

        He said the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had continued to carry out studies and observations to predict the potential threat of drought due the El-Nino. The phenomenon is predicted to impact the western and some eastern parts of Indonesia.

        "The BMKG chief has explained the possible arrival of El-Nino in the pacific region at the end of the year or early next year that could affect our agriculture," the head of state said.

        Yudhoyono said that the same prediction was also made by the same institutions in the United States, Japan and Australia.

        He said that the influence of El-Nino in Indonesia in September 2009 was still weak. However, its influence at the end of the year or early in 2010, was not yet known, yet the BMKG would continue to monitor it.

        "One thing for sure is that up to September the climate condition would still be in the save level in the sense that there would be no extreme drought, while after September, we are still waiting for the studies of BMKG in August," Yudhoyono said.

        He said that the government remained to prepare anticipatory steps even if there would unlikely be extreme drought triggered by El-Nino until September.

        "Our first step is to increase our rice production. The second one is that if there is drought in a certain region we will accelerate the rice planting season, and the third step would be a step to develop a rice variety which is able to grow in an area with water scarcity," he said.***3*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/B003). (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 17-07-2009 00:00:29