JAKARTA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday urged police and army officers to be well-prepared for forest and land fires as the El Nino dry season approaches.

Widodo warned that police and army chiefs in provinces would be sacked if significant flames start.

"If a fire occurs in your area and it is not handled well, you will be dismissed," Widodo told a joint meeting with police and army leaders in Jakarta.

Such a warning was given by Widodo in 2016, and he reiterated it in 2018.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency predicts that Indonesia will experience the phenomena of El Nino, or the dry weather phase, beginning last February or early March through mid-year and that it will be the driest season since 2019.