Palangka Raya, C Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Lieutenant General Suharyanto (second from left) symbolically hands over fire fighting equipment assistance in Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan Province, on Friday (June 16, 2023). (ANTARA/Muhammad Arif Hidayat/uyu)
"We must coordinate with each other to prevent and tackle forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan," the BNPB head stated while symbolically handing over the assistance during a forest and land fire handling personnel gathering ceremony here on Friday.
The equipment comprised 27 peat injectors, 27 flexible tanks, 81 portable pumps, 135 nozzles, as well as 1,350 hose units.
Earlier, the agency had also sent a helicopter to the province to conduct aerial patrols as well as extinguish forest and land fires through water bombing.
Suharyanto urged all stakeholders to prioritize preventive measures before the fires spread in the region.
"(It is) because when the fire is already big, it will be difficult to put out even if the BNPB helps by conducting weather modification. Thus, all parties must coordinate to immediately extinguish it," he remarked.
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Furthermore, he urged all personnel to check the condition and availability of their equipment, so it could be used immediately without any problems.
The BNPB head stated that the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasts that Indonesia has the potential to experience a longer dry season in 2023 as compared to the previous years.
"Hence, all parties must increase their vigilance and preparedness to tackle the threat of forest and land fires in 2023," he remarked.
After attending the gathering ceremony, Suharyanto, Pratowo, as well as other officials reviewed the readiness of existing supporting infrastructure that had been prepared to tackle the disaster.
Earlier, the BNPB head had also handed over forest and land fire fighting equipment to the Riau Provincial Government on June 7, 2023.
The equipment included 11 main pumps, 22 hose pumps, 44 portable pumps, 231 hose units, 88 nozzles, 88 Y-connectors, 220 packages of personal protective equipment, as well as 11 water tanks, with a capacity of five thousand liters each.
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