BPBD Kalsel Optimises Water Bombing Helicopters to Tackle Forest and Land Fires

The South Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) is optimising the use of water bombing helicopters to tackle forest and land fires (karhutla), aiming to accelerate the extinguishing of hotspots that are difficult for ground teams to access. Head of BPBD Kalsel Ronny Eka Saputra stated that the operation is being carried out in conjunction with the Weather Modification Operation (OMC) to speed up the suppression of hard-to-reach fire spots. “Aerial operations are a crucial part of the forest and land fire management strategy, especially for locations with limited access,” he said in Banjarbaru on Wednesday. He explained that when ground teams identify a hotspot they cannot reach, the water bombing helicopter is immediately deployed to extinguish the fire at that location. Ronny noted that BPBD Kalsel currently has support from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in the form of three water bombing helicopters and one air patrol helicopter. The fleet is being used to accelerate the response to fire incidents across various areas in the region. “Alhamdulillah, several hotspots that were difficult for ground teams to reach have been successfully extinguished through the water bombing helicopter operations provided by BNPB,” he said. The emergency status has been set until 31 October, and Ronny expressed hope that the situation would be under control before that date so the helicopters would no longer be needed. To strengthen firefighting efforts, BPBD Kalsel also plans to add another water bombing helicopter to improve capabilities in areas inaccessible by land. Ronny stressed that the current main priority is focused on Zone 1, the area around Syamsudin Noor International Airport, to prevent smoke from forest and land fires from disrupting aviation activities.