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View all search resultsFire-ravaged regions face rising flood threat
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A resident points to damage by a cold lava flow from Mount Semeru along the Glidik River, which destroyed seven houses and collapsed a 150-meter section of road, in Purorejo village, Lumajang regency, East Java, on Nov. 2, 2026. (AFP/Hayu Yudha)
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fter months of battling forest and peatland fires, parts of Indonesia now face another threat as damaged landscapes leave communities increasingly vulnerable to flooding ahead of the rainy season.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Tuesday urged residents nationwide to prepare for hydrometeorological disasters, including flash floods and landslides, as parts of the country enter the rainy season.
The warning comes after months of drought and widespread forest and peatland fires, fueled by prolonged dry conditions under the influence of El Niño, which have left communities grappling with water shortages and toxic haze.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that the rainy season will begin in most parts of Indonesia between November and December, although the brewing El Niño could delay its peak into next year.
Intermittent rainfall in recent days has helped suppress fires in major hot spots across Kalimantan and Sumatra, gradually dispersing toxic haze and bringing air quality closer to safe levels. But the reprieve could come with a new threat.
"We also need to anticipate an increased risk of flooding, particularly in areas where blazes have destroyed tree covers and degraded the soil,” BNPB spokesperson Berton Panjaitan said.
Read also: Papua blazes defy rainfall relief
