BNPB Head: Use 'Water Bombing' Only When Forest Fires are Small
Banjarbaru (ANTARA) - The Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, has reminded that the use of water bombing helicopters in handling forest and land fires (karhutla) should only occur when the fire is still small, especially in locations difficult to reach by land.
“Water bombing helicopters are only effective when the fire is still small, particularly in places that are hard to reach by ground task forces, and are used to assist ground units in cutting off the head of the fire,” said Suharyanto during a working visit accompanying Vice President Gibran in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Thursday.
He emphasised that the primary function of aerial firefighting is designed to support ground units; therefore, the deployment of helicopters must be adjusted to the actual fire conditions on the ground.
According to him, the use of water bombing helicopters is ineffective once a fire has developed into a large-scale blaze, as the volume of water dropped from the air is insufficient to replace the strength of ground task forces in managing fires across vast areas.
Consequently, the BNPB positions ground task forces as the main strength in extinguishing forest and land fires, while aerial support is used selectively to assist in managing limited hotspots or locations with difficult land access.
He stated that this strategy is part of the effort to strengthen firefighting in South Kalimantan, while weather modification operations continue to be conducted whenever there is potential for cloud growth that could produce rain in the affected regions.
He added that rain is one of the most effective factors in extinguishing forest and land fires, so weather modification operations are continuously utilised as an additional effort when atmospheric conditions are favourable, while still relying on the strength of ground task forces.
“All firefighting support must be used according to the character of the fire so that aerial and ground resources can work effectively, especially to prevent small fires from developing into more widespread conflagrations,” Suharylarnto said.