Jakarta. More than 73% of Indonesia has entered the dry season, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said on Tuesday, warning that the expanding drought raises the risk of water shortages and forest and land fires across the country.

BMKG said 516 of the country's 699 seasonal zones, or 73.8%, are now in the dry season. Only 70 seasonal zones, representing 10% of the country, remain in the rainy season, while the remaining 113 zones, or 16.2%, have a single-season climate pattern.

According to BMKG's latest dry season monitoring report, the dry season has expanded across much of Indonesia, covering northern Aceh, southern North Sumatra, southern Riau, southern West Sumatra, parts of the Riau Islands, Bengkulu, parts of Jambi, South Sumatra, parts of the Bangka Belitung Islands, Lampung, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

The dry season has also spread across most of West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, southern Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, parts of Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, North Maluku, Maluku, Southwest Papua, West Papua, Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua.

BMKG warned that the broader dry season increases the risk of drought, declining clean water availability, and forest and land fires in several regions.

The agency urged the public to conserve water, avoid burning land or household waste, and regularly monitor official weather and climate updates through BMKG's official channels.