The government continues to raise its alertness regarding forest and\nland fires (karhutla) even though the number of hotspots in several\nregions of Indonesia shows a downward trend.<\/p>\n
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni in Palembang on Monday said the\ndecline in hotspot numbers is a positive development, but it is not yet\na reason to lower vigilance because the potential for forest and land\nfires still exists.<\/p>\n
The decline in hotspot numbers has occurred in several areas that\nwere previously regions with high hotspot counts.<\/p>\n
For example, Central Kalimantan previously recorded up to 1,116\nhotspots in two days, then dropped to around 300 points after joint\nhandling was carried out.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan\u2019s hotspot count also fell from around 800 to 400\npoints. Meanwhile, Riau was reported to have no hotspots, Jambi had one\nremaining point, while South Sumatra also dropped from 39 to 37\npoints.<\/p>\n
However, the decline in hotspot numbers does not mean all fires have\nended, especially in areas with peatland. This is because fires on\npeatland can leave embers beneath the surface even when flames are no\nlonger visible.<\/p>\n
He said the cooling and wetting process must be carried out\nintensively and repeatedly to ensure that embers stored within the peat\ndo not reignite into fire points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf intensive cooling or wetting is not carried out repeatedly, it\nhas the potential to become a fire spot again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)\nSuharyanto said hotspot data detected by satellite needs to be verified\nbefore being categorised as fires.<\/p>\n
Verification is carried out using various means, including\nhelicopters and drones.<\/p>\n
In South Sumatra, of the 37 high-intensity hotspots monitored, field\ninspection results showed 11 points were genuinely fire spots.<\/p>\n
In addition to firefighting, the government is also preparing weather\nmodification operations (OMC) by utilising rain potential in early\nSeptember.<\/p>\n
Based on information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics\nAgency (BMKG), there is potential for rain seeds on 1\u20136 September\n2026.<\/p>\n
The rain potential is expected to help extinguish fires that are\nstill active while also wetting dry land and reducing the likelihood of\nembers re-emerging.<\/p>\n
Suharyanto stressed that the government will still carry out\nintensive forest and land fire handling throughout September.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn September we will still be struggling to extinguish the fires,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-raises-forest-fire-alert-despite-declining-hotspot-numbers-1788177222", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }