Forestry Minister ensures peatland wetting in South Kalimantan continues

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has confirmed that the handling of forest and land fires in South Kalimantan continues to be maximised through the wetting of peatland that is still emitting smoke.

The wetting is being carried out by the Ground Task Force, which consists of Manggala Agni, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the National Police, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, and the National Disaster Management Agency.

“The condition of the peatland is still emitting smoke even though the fire on the surface is no longer visible, so continued wetting is necessary,” he said while directly inspecting the forest and land fire handling in Penggalaman, Banjar Regency, on Sunday.

The Forestry Minister said the inspection location is in a non-state forest area that directly borders a protected forest. The burned area is estimated to reach around 36 hectares.

According to him, the characteristics of peatland mean that the extinguishing process must be carried out thoroughly.

Although there is no fire above ground, smoke is still present below the surface. Therefore, he stressed that mitigation efforts must be carried out completely so that the fire does not reappear.

Amid the forest and land fire handling, the Forestry Minister said the number of hotspots in South Kalimantan had experienced a significant decline.

Based on data from the forest and land fire monitoring system, the number of hotspots on 21 August reached 157 points, then fell to 11 points on the night of 22 August at 9.00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time.

However, based on monitoring this morning at 6.00 a.m. Central Indonesian Time, the number rose again to 44 points spread across several areas, namely Banjar Regency, Banjarbaru City, South Hulu Sungai, and Tapin.

According to him, the previous decline in hotspots was inseparable from the joint operation through the deployment of ground troops and air operation support.

In the water bombing operation, 176 water bombings were carried out in a single day.

Although the hotspots have decreased, the Forestry Minister asked all parties to continue to increase their preparedness. This is necessary given that the El Niño phenomenon is still ongoing, with its peak expected in September.

“Do not carry out land clearing by burning,” he stressed.