Jakarta, Aug. 18 -- Indonesia's Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni said early warning system from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) regarding El Nino phenomenon has helped the Ministry stepping up forest and land fire prevention and control efforts.

"We have taken various measures, ranging from mitigation and prevention steps, to strengthening preparedness, as well as technical responses and fire suppression on the ground," Antoni said during a working meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to BMKG monitoring, El Nino is currently very strong, with the Nino 3.4 index reaching +2.19. The condition has the potential to reduce rainfall across Indonesia.

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