Indonesian Navy Assists in Extinguishing Forest and Land Fires in Sambas

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) collaborated with the National Police (Polri) and the local community to extinguish forest and land fires (karhutla) in Dusun Camarbulan, Desa Temajuk, Paloh Subdistrict, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday (8/4). An official press release received in Jakarta on Thursday explained that the firefighting operation was carried out by personnel from the Naval Regional Command (Kodaeral) XII Pontianak. The Head of the Navy Information Service (Kadispenal), First Admiral Tunggul of the TNI, confirmed to ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday that the extinguishing action began following a report of the karhutla incident received by Kodaeral XII personnel. “Based on that report, the joint team conducted cross-agency coordination, direct checks at the location, and manual fire extinguishing,” said Tunggul. Tunggul stated that TNI AL personnel faced various obstacles during the extinguishing efforts, including limited facilities and infrastructure, the remote access to the site, and the scarcity of water sources. “Nevertheless, the joint personnel were still able to control the situation effectively. The spirit of mutual cooperation, discipline, and dedication of all elements on the ground were key factors in the success of the firefighting operation,” explained Tunggul. After successfully extinguishing the fire, TNI AL personnel did not immediately leave the site but stayed to socialise karhutla handling to the community. “This socialisation covers the impacts of smoke on health, the environment, and daily community activities, as part of preventive measures to reduce the potential for recurring karhutla in the border region,” said Tunggul. With this socialisation, Tunggul hopes the community can better anticipate karhutla disasters.