BNPB Deploys 15,000 Personnel to Combat Forest Fires in West Kalimantan
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has deployed a massive force of 15,091 joint task force personnel to manage forest and land fires (karhutla) in West Kalimantan Province. In addition to ground personnel, the BNPB has dispersed 520,000 litres of water through aerial operations to suppress fire hotspots that are increasingly spreading.
BNPB Head Suharyanto emphasised that this large-scale measure is a direct follow-up to instructions from Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The primary focus of the operation is the wetting of peatlands and protecting residents from the worsening threat of haze.
“We have established a Weather Modification Operation (OMC) post and are coordinating daily with the BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency). In line with the directives of the President and Vice President, whenever there is even a small opportunity for cloud growth, we will execute OMC to moisten the land and prevent the fire from spreading,” Suharyanto stated in a briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.
This massive intervention follows the deterioration of air quality in West Kalimantan, where the Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) has reached hazardous levels. This condition has triggered a surge in Acute Respiratory Infection (ISPA) cases, reaching 1,337 cases, and has forced local authorities to extend remote learning periods for students.
On the ground, a joint team consisting of the TNI (Military), Polri (Police), BPBD (Regional Disaster Management Agency), Manggala Agni, and local communities has successfully extinguished 155.96 hectares of land. The total burnt area across Kubu Raya, Mempawah, Ketapang, and Singkawang is recorded at 691.74 hectares. Field officers are relying on emergency pump machines and deep peat-wetting techniques to break the spread of underground fires.
To support aerial suppression, the BNPB has deployed nine water-bombing helicopters, which have conducted 84 water drops, particularly in the Ketapang area. This operation is supported by three OMC aircraft seeding salt (Sodium Chloride/NaCl) across seven regencies to induce artificial rain.
Previously, while inspecting the Forest Fire Emergency Handling Post in Guntung Damar, Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Thursday morning, Vice President Gibrante Rakabuming Raka provided strategic instructions for the BNPB to give full attention to vulnerable groups. “We request the Head of BNPB to provide full attention to the emergency handling of forest fires, especially vulnerable groups affected by the smoke,” the Vice President asserted.
The Vice President also emphasised that areas surrounding schools should be the top priority for firefighting. Regarding plans to resume in-person teaching and learning activities, the Vice President urged local governments and schools to coordinate closely with parents to ensure health and safety aspects are maintained.
Suhary, Yanto ensured that his agency will continue to mobilise logistics, provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for field officers, and tighten inter-agency synergy in accordance with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives to ensure the safety of communities in all affected areas.