Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is advancing weather modification, desalination, and water purification technologies to strengthen water security as a strong El Nino threatens hotter and drier conditions.Head of BRIN Arif Satria said President Prabowo Subianto recently asked the agency to present technologies to help Indonesia mitigate the impacts of this year's El Nino.”Last week, I was invited by the President to explain the technologies developed by BRIN to address El Nino. This year's El Nino is expected to last about as long as previous events, but it will be hotter and drier,” Arif told reporters at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (Aug 6).Arif said President Prabowo instructed BRIN to improve its weather modification technology through the use of 2-5 micron sodium chloride (NaCl) particles, flare technology, and unmanned aerial vehicles or drones to make cloud-seeding operations more effective.The agency is also expanding its seawater desalination technology, which has already been deployed in 40 coastal areas to strengthen freshwater supplies.”The President was also very pleased with BRIN's breakthrough in seawater desalination technology, which has now been implemented in 40 coastal areas,” Arif said.BRIN has also developed Arsinum, a water purification technology that converts floodwater, wastewater, and brackish water into potable water.Arif said President Prabowo Subianto tried water produced by the Arsinum technology during a demonstration at the Presidential Palace, alongside Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono.”Arsinum can turn floodwater, wastewater, and brackish water into drinking water. The President drank the water himself, as did Minister Lahadalia and the marine affairs minister, and we have proven the technology at various disaster sites,” Arif said.President Prabowo also instructed BRIN to identify underground rivers that could serve as new sources of raw water. The agency is developing technologies to map underground river systems and treat water containing Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.As part of the initiative, BRIN will establish a living laboratory in Kebumen District, Central Java, to develop technologies for producing cleaner, safer, and more hygienic groundwater.Similar studies are also underway in Gunungkidul and other regions with the potential for underground rivers.Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said El Nino has reached the strong category and could intensify into a very strong event, increasing the risk of a longer and drier dry season across parts of Indonesia.Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani said on Tuesday that the agency's latest monitoring showed the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index had reached +1.59, placing the phenomenon in the strong category.BMKG forecasts rainfall ranging from low to very low across much of Indonesia in August and September before the rainy season is expected to begin in mid-October.The agency said the greatest impacts are expected in areas south of the equator, including Bali, Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, southern Sumatra, and southern Papua.BMKG warned that El Nino could affect agriculture, clean water supplies, reservoir and irrigation management, forest and land fires, energy, public health, fisheries, and economic activity across the country.