BMKG cautions of fires, landslides during exodus

NATURAL DISASTER/ EARTHQUAKE - JAKARTA. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned about possible extreme weather during the upcoming Idul Fitri exodus period as it will coincide with the early phase of the dry season.

Tens of millions are expected to travel to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday, with the homebound exodus estimated to peak on May 31, while the return exodus on June 9. 

BMKG chairperson Dwikorita Karnawati said the BMKG predicted that some parts of Indonesia would see drier weather with a low level of rainfall in early June.

“Forest and land fires could potentially occur in West Sumatra, Palembang in North Sumatra, half of Jambi, Lampung and in the central part of Java. People are banned from discarding cigarette butts in these areas,” Dwikorita said on the sidelines of a meeting on the Idul Fitri exodus in Palembang on Thursday.

On the other hand, floods could potentially occur in some parts of Aceh, North Sumatra and around Mount Puncak Jaya in West Papua, the BMKG predicts.

The agency cautions of potential landslides on some exodus routes, especially areas with sloped roadsides and toll roads.

Dwikorita suggested that toll road users monitor the weather conditions from information provided by the BMKG, which will be updated every six hours.

She added that high tides of between 2 and 2.5 meters may occur during the exodus period in the Indian Ocean, specifically in the Southern Java sea. High tides could also occur on the west coast of Sumatra island, such as in Enggano, Nias and Mentawai, as well as in Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara, the Arafura Sea and the Banda Sea.

Despite no potential high tides in other areas, Dwikorita said the BMKG would install two ocean radars in the Sunda Strait to monitor for possible tsunamis.