BNPB deploys two water-bombing helicopters to tackle forest fires in East Kotawaringin

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has deployed two water-bombing helicopters to extinguish forest and land fires occurring in East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan. Head of the East Kotawaringin Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Multazam, stated from Sampit on Wednesday that he was currently in Eka Bahurui, where the two helicopters have been tasked with targeting Eka Bahurui village and the border area between Soren and Camba villages. Multazam explained that aerial firefighting was requested because land fires in the area have begun to occur sporadically. Some locations are difficult to reach by land and are far from water sources, necessitating water bombing from the air. The fire in Eka Bahurui, Mentawa Baru Ketapang district, has been burning for five days. As of today, the fire remains unextinguished and continues to spread, raising hopes that the aerial operation will successfully put it out. He added that the fire in Eka Bahurui has reached a dangerous category as it is close to extra-high voltage power lines (Sutet), requiring urgent handling to avoid creating new problems. Multazam expressed hope that the water bombing would reduce the expansion of the burned area and ultimately extinguish the fire. Multazam and the East Kotawaringin BPBD Rapid Reaction Team are also on standby in Eka Bahurui village. In addition to monitoring the aerial firefighting efforts, they are working to ensure no new hotspots emerge in the area. The total area of land burned in Eka Bahurui and the Soren-Camba border region remains unknown. As of the time of reporting, firefighting operations using the two water-bombing helicopters were still ongoing. Multazam urged public awareness to prevent and tackle forest and land fires to stop them from worsening. He appealed to residents not to burn land, as it is highly prone to triggering uncontrolled and widespread fires.