Senior UN official commends Indonesia and ASEAN disaster preparedness to climate change

Indonesia’s approach to disaster management provides a good example to share with other countries in the region and beyond, said Reena Ghelani, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Climate Crisis Coordinator for the El Niño/La Niña, at the end of a two-day mission to Jakarta this week.

“Government leadership and partnership with the UN as well as the country’s approach to disaster management through empowering local communities and organizations is for the world to learn from,” she said. “Across the world, droughts, floods and other extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change, requiring stronger adaptation measures and resilience building.”

Ms. Ghelani met with counterparts from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and visited the ASEAN Agency for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre). 

Preparedness and early warning are key to mitigating the impact of disasters – as demonstrated by the early forecast of the extended dry season in 2023, induced by El Niño. “The early warning provided in February 2023 by BMKG and the action the government took based on it, have had concrete impact in mitigating the consequences of El Niño, particularly in protecting the most vulnerable segments of the population,” Ms. Ghelani said after meeting BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati at the agency’s operational centre.   

She also received a briefing on the Climate Field School programme, initiated by BMKG and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and what is now the National Food Agency, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

In Indonesia, El Niño leads to longer dry seasons and reduced rainfall, making it harder for communities to access clean water. Recently, the impact of El Niño has become more severe due to climate change, leading to more extreme droughts, higher risks of water shortages, and greater challenges for vulnerable communities.

Beating the drought

In Bekasi Regency, West Java, there was no shortage of clean water in the prolonged dry season, thanks to adequate preparedness measures ahead of last year’s El Nino, officials and local residents told Ms. Ghelani during her visit to the area. Bekasi Regency is among the 371 out of 514 regencies and cities in Indonesia that is highly prone to drought, according to BNPB’s Indonesia Disaster Risk Index 2023.

“Though the drought lasted longer and was more severe, we were well prepared and did not suffer,” said Amah, a resident of Sirnajaya village.

Preparedness included deploying heavy machinery to normalize rivers and secondary channels (canals?), planting trees, cleaning up garbage, distributing water pumps to farmers and distributing clean water to villages at risk of water shortages. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) used special tools and machinery to assesswater sources in sand excavation sites used for construction around the affected areas, explained Ucu Surya Jingga, Secretary of the PMI Bekasi Regency. They tested several sites and identified the water at a location in Sirnajaya as the best water source due to its quality, which was confirmed by laboratory tests. The water was then treated to ensure it was safe to drink and distributed to residents through water tanks and gallons. The site now produces more than 6,000 litres of clean water and more than 1,000 litres of drinking water per day, which is distributed free of charge to residents.

“Effective coordination of humanitarian response  depends on strong and effective leadership on the ground,” said Ms. Ghelani said. “Strong government-led collaboration with the private sector and NGOs, such as in Bekasi Regency, is a powerful example of mutual support, with the private sector and volunteers stepping in to fill the gaps in times of need.”

Improved preparedness has led to positive results in most of Southeast Asia. While the number of disasters in ASEAN countries increased in the 2018-2023 period, the number of casualties and losses resulting from these disasters has decreased. “This progress is due to several factors – chief among them are increased disaster awareness and adaptation as well as early action and robust data from meteorologists,” said Ms. Ghelani said.

UNOCHA’s Indonesia office works in partnership with the AHA Centre in building the capacity of national disaster management offices in ASEAN Member states. This cooperation, with a focus on dealing with increasing climate change impact and localizing response, will be further strengthened under the AHA Centre’s 2026 to 2030 medium term plan. UNOCHA will continue to bridge AHA Centre capabilities as a disaster management knowledge hub, including through offering lessons to other regions including the Pacific, and the Africa Union and will also capitalize on peer-to-peer exchanges with European Union.  The UN will continue to support ASEAN in the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management (AADMER), said Ms.Ghelani .