Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forest and land fires have once again struck the\nMalaumkarta area, Makbon District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua,\naffecting an area of approximately two hectares.<\/p>\n
The fire broke out on Monday (21\/9) at around 3:00 PM WIT and was\nonly successfully extinguished by residents on Tuesday around 3:00 AM\nWIT. Residents are continuing to monitor and cool the area to prevent\nany potential re-ignition of embers.<\/p>\n
The Head of Malaumkarta Village, Jefri Mobalen, stated that this is\nthe second fire to occur at the same location following a previous\nincident in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the second time a fire has occurred in this same location.\nThe first fire was last month in August. We do not know how the fire\nstarted; it suddenly began to spread,\u201d Juju said in a press release on\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
According to Jefri, firefighting efforts faced obstacles due to the\nreduced water flow from several springs in Malaumkarta. Residents had to\nfetch water from reservoirs located quite far away, while hot conditions\nand dry winds caused the fire to spread more rapidly.<\/p>\n
The fire even burnt several sago trees located approximately 50\nmetres from the protected forest area and forest considered sacred by\nthe indigenous community. This situation has increased residents\u2019\nconcerns regarding the potential for the fire to expand.<\/p>\n
This latest fire adds to a series of similar incidents in the Greater\nMalaumkarta region. On 31 August, a fire hit Mount Malaumkarta, also\nknown as Suatut Peak, with a radius of about four kilometres, which\nresidents managed to extinguish three days later.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, on 19 September, another fire occurred in the Mibi\nVillage forest area with a radius of approximately one kilometre.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the hot weather, the water supply has decreased, but the\ncommunity, along with youths and schoolchildren, all participated in the\nforest fire suppression efforts,\u201d said Jefri.<\/p>\n
In addition to increasing the risk of fire, the reduction in water\nsources has begun to impact community gardens. Horticultural crops,\nwhich serve as a food source and a primary income for residents, have\nbegun to wither due to the limited water supply.<\/p>\n
To support the response, the EcoNusa Foundation is coordinating with\nthe village government to distribute three engine-driven water pumps,\none 1,100-litre water tank, 300 metres of fire hoses, 10 backpack\nsprayers, boots, and headlamps.<\/p>\n
Jefri hopes that the community will increase vigilance during these\nhot and dry conditions. \u201cLet us ensure that the events of 1986 do not\nrepeat themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/forest-fires-strike-malaumkarta-forest-area-in-sorong-again-1790683275", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }