Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Chairperson Suharyanto stated that the level of forest and land fires in South Kalimantan is not categrized as alarming.
He said the joint officers in the province held each other synergize extinguishing fires, thus the condition is still manageable.
However, Suharyanto during the South Kalimantan forest and land fires emergency handling coordination meeting in Banjarbaru City, Tuesday, asked all personnel remain on standby anticipating fires.
Control and Operation Center (Pusdalops-PB) of the South Kalimantan BPBD's data showed that forest and land fires have burned 400 hectares and there were 3.281 hotspots scattered across 13 disricts and cities.
In addition to the swift officers, the South Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) oerates four BNPB aid helicopters to extinguish fires in hard to reach locations.
Suharyanto also appealed to the Provncial Government of South Kalimantan to not issue a regional regulation that gives a tolerance for a minimum area to burn land.
“Prevention of forest and land fires is more priority over countermeasures,” Suharyanto pointed out.
He said the ban on land clearing by burning is an one of early efforts to prevent smog disaster due to forest and land fires.
Suharyanto said that the main thing to watch out for is climate change in August which could result in drought in most parts of Indonesia, including South Kalimantan.
Previously, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) used weather modification technology to wet peatlands in South Kalimantan in a bid to prevent forest fires.
"Weather modification operation in the last few years has become a permanent solution to controlling forest fires in Indonesia," the coordinator of the weather modification laboratory at BRIN, Budi Harsoyo, said in a statement on Monday (July 10, 2023).
The weather modification initiative was conducted from July 7 to July 18, and was carried out at the request of the Peatlands and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), he added.
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