REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Executive director of Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES) Indonesia Rudi Wahyono warned that the impact of El Nino would not be over until next year.
El Nino has caused severe drought in the country and was attributed to disastrous forest and bush fires.
Rudi, who is CIDES' energy, marine and environmental researcher, said the country would be entirely safe from the impact of El Nino only in October, 201`6.
Therefore, he called on the government to strengthen logistics to cope with the impact of the weather phenomenon.
"Strong logistics is one of the ways to cope with the impact of El Nino," he said here on Wednesday.
He said according to NOAA, NASA, ESA-Eropa and CSIRO Australia El Nino energy would last until October 2016.
El Nino would still have its impact in Indonesia especially the eastern part of the country, he said.
The impact began to weaken in western part of the country that rain began to fall with strong winds and thunderbolt that last only shortly, he said.
Despite the rain, he said the threat to human health is not yet over as until Nov. 10 , satellite data of NASA-Measurements Of Pollution In Tehe Troposhere (MOPITT) showed that the carbon monoxide (CO) content in Sumatra was relatively high at 2354 part per bilion (ppb), and in Kalimantan at 412 ppb.
"The condition could still cause respiratory tract infection and acute respiratory infection ," he said.
Based on the satellite data of ESA Troposphere Emission Monitoring (TEMIS), NASA Aura Ozon Monitoring Instruments, and NASA MOPITT , the CO and Nitro oxide (NOx) content and surface ozone are dangerous not only for human and animals but farm crops like vegetable and fruits, he said.
With El Nino, absorption of sun light declined despite an increase in sun intensity as indicated by a 10 percent fall in Fraction of absorbed photosynthesis active radiation, he said.
Under such condition, the farm productivity would decline, he said.
"The economic implication is that the price of farm commodities would rise. Therefore, the statement of Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman that El Nino had no impact on farm production is against logic and not in line with the result of international research," he said.
He cited haze of smokes from forest fires badly damaged the experiment crop of PUSRI in Jakabaring, Palembang, saying the crop withered and died.
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