Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) is targeting\nthe complete extinguishing of forest and land fires in Mount Ciremai\nNational Park (TNGC), Kuningan Regency, within two days.<\/p>\n
Speaking optimistically at Gedung Pakuan in Bandung on Friday, Dedi\nsaid emergency measures had been secured, including helicopter\nwater-bombing and the deployment of 500 personnel to clear natural\nchannels.<\/p>\n
The aerial emergency response is being supported by helicopters from\nthe Ministry of Defence, the Indonesian Military Headquarters, the\nIndonesian Air Force and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).\nThe aircraft will help overcome difficult access to the mountain summit\nand the limited availability of water near the fire fronts.<\/p>\n
Dedi said the area affected by the fire on Mount Ciremai was 30\nhectares, not 60 hectares as previously reported, and that only 20 per\ncent remained affected by fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe burned area covers 30 hectares, not 60 hectares. After the\nfirefighting operation the previous day, an estimated 20 per cent of the\nhotspots remained, and these were in areas that were not particularly\nhazardous,\u201d Dedi said.<\/p>\n
The former Purwakarta regent explained that aerial water-bombing was\nthe only option because it was extremely dangerous for ground personnel\nto reach the summit.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could people climb the mountain to do it manually? And what\nwould they use to put out the fire at the summit? There is no water\nsource there. Even if they had equipment, how many people would be\ncapable of climbing to the summit?\u201d Dedi said.<\/p>\n
In parallel, the West Java provincial government has deployed 500\njoint personnel to clear natural channels on the mountain slopes of\naccumulated rubbish, bamboo trunks and dry wood.<\/p>\n
The work is intended to ensure that, when rain falls, water can flow\nthrough the channels and create natural firebreaks to stop flames\nspreading to other areas of vegetation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rubbish is being removed so that, when water comes down, the\nchannels can function and help prevent the fire from crossing over,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Regarding the suspected cause of the fire, Dedi said he believed\nsomeone may have irresponsibly burned grass to clear land for farming\nahead of the planting season.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps someone burned the grass because November is approaching.\nFarmers usually start planting around then,\u201d Dedi said.<\/p>\n
Dedi said the wildfire response had been reported to and co-ordinated\ndirectly with the central government through the Minister of State\nSecretariat and the Cabinet Secretary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked for guidance because there was a fire in Ciremai. The\nMinister of State Secretariat asked for Ciremai to be dealt with. I also\nreported it to the Cabinet Secretary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As well as focusing on extinguishing the fire, Dedi raised\nallegations of another environmental crime: the theft of sonokeling\ntimber in the TNGC conservation area. He offered a cash reward of Rp10\nmillion to anyone willing to identify the alleged perpetrators.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who can provide information about the sonokeling thieves will\nreceive a reward of Rp10 million,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kdm-aims-to-extinguish-ciremai-forest-fires-within-two-days-1792767147", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }