Forest Fire Intensity Rises in Bangka, Regent Fery Insani Urges Public Vigilance
Bangka Regent Fery Insani has urged the public to increase vigilance against the dangers of forest and land fires (Karhutla) as the dry season sets in. He made the statement after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for a Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship Programme between the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo) and the State Manufacturing Polytechnic (Polman) on Wednesday (2/6).
“The intensity of forest and land fires in our region is currently high; there are incidents every day. The public must be truly vigilant,” said Fery.
Fery asked residents to avoid activities that could spark fires, such as clearing land by burning forests or carelessly discarding lit cigarette butts. According to him, the combination of extreme hot weather and strong winds during this year’s dry season poses a significant risk of triggering large-scale fires.
“This dry season brings hot weather and strong winds. It is certainly very dangerous if you burn rubbish without supervision or clear gardens by burning land, because the fire can spread quickly and cause forest and land fires,” he explained.
The Regent noted that several areas in Bangka Regency have a high vulnerability to forest and land fires. One area of serious concern is the Bangka East Crossing route, which provides access to beach tourism destinations.
“The East Bangka Crossing is a tourism area, with lots of dry weeds that are highly flammable. That is why this crossing area is very vulnerable,” he said.
According to data from the local Fire Department (Damkar), the area of land burned in Bangka Regency during July has exceeded 50 hectares. This figure is predicted to continue rising given the ongoing extreme dry season.
Fery instructed residents to be proactive in prevention and reporting if they spot fire hotspots in their surroundings.
“For residents who are aware of any forest and land fire incidents, please report them immediately to the Fire Department so they can be handled and extinguished quickly, preventing the fire from spreading further,” he concluded.