Banjarbaru (ANTARA) - Over the past month, forest and land fires\n(karhutla) in South Kalimantan have continued to expand across various\nregencies and cities.<\/p>\n
One of the most affected areas is Banundbaru, the capital of South\nKalimantan, where flames have burnt through natural ecosystems\nconsisting of grasslands and trees in uncultivated scrubland.<\/p>\n
Three specific areas have become frequent sites for land fires during\nthe dry season in Banjarbaru: the area from Guntung Damar to Tegal Arum,\nwhich falls within the Ring 1 zone of Syamsudin Noor International\nAirport; the Liang Anggang protected forest; and the Pengayuan area in\nthe South Landasan Ulin Village, bordering Tanah Laut Regency.<\/p>\n
Crucially, these fires in the city have had a direct impact on\nairport operations, as thick haze has forced aircraft to cease\noperations.<\/p>\n
Joint task forces from various government agencies, equipped with\nfirefighting equipment, have been deployed. Volunteers have also played\na role, albeit with limited resources.<\/p>\n
However, the reality remains that fires continue to burn land and\nexpand day by day.<\/p>\n
The effectiveness of fire suppression efforts has been widely\nquestioned. One recurring issue is that the burning lands consist of\npeat with varying depths.<\/p>\n
This means that the challenge of firefighting is not merely about\nchasing visible flames, but ensuring that the embers deep within the\npeat are completely extinguished while simultaneously rewetting the\nland.<\/p>\n
This situation has prompted the South Kalimantan Regional Police\nChief, Inspector General Dr Rosyanto Yudha Hermawan, to seek more\neffective methods for both extinguishing fires and rewetting burnt\npeatlands.<\/p>\n
He has gathered multi-disciplinary experts from the Forensic\nLaboratory Division (Bidlabfor) of the South Kalimantan Regional Police\nto discuss fire suppression strategies.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he has engaged wetland experts from the Faculty of\nAgriculture at Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM).<\/p>\n
The South Kalimantan Regional Police is also collaborating with the\nIndonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), which possesses extensive\nexperience in managing plantation lands.<\/p>\n
From this series of discussions and collaborations, three tactical\ninnovations for forest fire suppression have emerged: the creation of\nbiofloc ponds or portable tarpaulin ponds, the development of a special\nchemical formula by the South Kalimantan Police Forensic Laboratory to\nbe mixed into water reservoirs, and the creation of an undercooling\nsystem pipe, also known as a peat injection pipe.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/combating-forest-fires-with-biofloc-ponds-and-peat-injection-pipes-1788171061", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }