Jakarta. Indonesia is stepping up preparations for a potentially severe dry season as forecasts of El Niño-related weather raise the risk of water shortages and forest fires in the world's largest archipelago.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno has instructed ministries to coordinate with regional governments to mitigate the impact of prolonged drought, with efforts focused on safeguarding water supplies, food security and economic activity.

The move follows a forecast by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) that rainfall between July and December 2026 will remain in the low-to-moderate range of 0 to 300 millimeters per month, increasing the likelihood of drier-than-normal conditions across many parts of the country.

To prepare for potential water shortages, the Public Works Ministry has readied key water infrastructure, including 240 dams, 593 lakes and reservoirs, 1,639 raw water storage facilities and 10,757 groundwater wells. Authorities have also deployed portable pumps and mobile water distribution units to support communities affected by drought.

"The first priority is to ensure people remain safe, have access to water and food, and that socioeconomic activities continue uninterrupted," Lilik Kurniawan, deputy for disaster and social conflict management at the coordinating ministry, said on Wednesday.

Lilik urged local governments to identify productive water sources before drought conditions worsen and encouraged rainwater harvesting while rainfall is still available. Regional administrations have also been asked to prepare emergency drought contingency plans, including identifying water sources and arranging tanker truck distribution to affected areas.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is simultaneously strengthening efforts to prevent forest and land fires, which frequently intensify during Indonesia's dry season and have historically disrupted air quality across Southeast Asia.

Preparedness measures include deploying additional personnel, logistics and helicopters for aerial patrols and water bombing, as well as carrying out weather modification operations to induce rainfall before drought conditions peak. Authorities also pledged stricter law enforcement against those responsible for deliberately setting forest fires.

Lilik said preventive measures, particularly cloud-seeding operations to replenish water reserves and moisten peatlands, should begin early rather than waiting until fires have spread.

The central government has also instructed regional administrations to strengthen joint ground patrols involving the military, police, fire prevention units and local communities in high-risk fire zones to improve early detection and response.

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