KBRN, Jakarta: Tjandra Yoga Aditama, former Director of Communicable Diseases for the World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asia Regional Office (2018–2020), has stressed that the Jakarta Provincial Administration must provide public education on the impacts of hot weather to proactively prevent emerging health problems.

"In addition to the Jakarta Health Agency, outreach can also be carried out by all city administration officials at every level, right down to the Subdistrict and Neighborhood levels," said Tjandra, who is currently the Chairperson of the Honorary Council of the Central Board of the Indonesian Pulmonologists Association (PDPI), when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday, October 16, 2025, as quoted by antaranews.com.

According to him, a number of health issues can arise from the current extreme heat, including heatstroke, dehydration, food poisoning due to accelerated bacterial proliferation, and heat exhaustion.

He strongly advised the public to stay in shaded areas as much as possible, avoid direct sunlight, particularly around noon, and consume a minimum of eight glasses of mineral water daily.

"It is absolutely mandatory to drink plenty, ideally more than eight glasses a day," asserted Tjandra.

Furthermore, he requested that the public should not increase heat exposure by operating machines or creating smoke in enclosed spaces due to the potential for gas poisoning. The public is also urged not to contribute to heat by burning trash.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Health Agency noted that the current "wet dry season" phenomenon is impacting the public’s immune system. Illnesses such as Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) and pneumonia are among the diseases with the potential to emerge due to this season.

However, both diseases can be prevented by adopting Clean and Healthy Living Behaviors (PHBS), which include washing hands with soap and water, avoiding crowds, wearing masks when active in crowded or public areas, practicing proper coughing and sneezing etiquette, and ensuring adequate nutritious food, rest, and routine exercise.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the hot weather phenomenon across most of Indonesia is caused by the sun's apparent movement being south of the equator in October, with maximum temperatures reaching 36.7 degrees Celsius. This phenomenon is projected to last until November 2025.

Despite these environmental reports, the Jakarta Provincial Administration said on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, that the weather conditions in Jakarta were still categorized as normal and not concerning.

In addition, Tjandra also recommended that the Jakarta Provincial Administration should provide drinking water facilities in open public spaces, especially during hot weather.

"Perhaps this can be done in markets, or crowded intersections, or in open parks that do not have many trees, or in Car Free Day areas on Sundays and others," suggested Tjandra.

According to him, providing these facilities would ensure that the public's daily water intake requirement, a minimum of eight glasses or more, is adequately met. ***