Joint Task Force Battles Forest and Land Fires in South and East Kalimantan
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that a joint task force is still battling to control forest and land fires (karhutla) affecting dozens of hectares in South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.
Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data, Information, and Communication Centre, stated in Jakarta on Monday that the incidents in the two provinces on Kalimantan Island occurred almost simultaneously on Sunday afternoon. “Preliminary data indicates there have been no casualties in these incidents, and the handling process is still ongoing,” he said.
Abdul explained that the fire in South Kalimantan hit the Simpang Empat District, Tanah Bumbu Regency, specifically in the PT Dua Samudera Perkasa Tersus Bengkirai Sungai Dua area, starting at 1:30 p.m. WITA on Sunday. The fire in Tanah Bumbu has impacted approximately five hectares of land, where a joint team comprising the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the fire brigade, and company volunteers has managed to extinguish at least two hectares of the burned area.
Meanwhile, a larger-scale land fire occurred in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan, affecting three sub-districts simultaneously with a total impacted area estimated at 35.2 hectares. The BNPB Operations Control Directorate confirmed that the spread of fires in Samarinda includes 30 hectares of land in Mugirejo Village, Sungai Pinang District; five hectares in Harapan Baru Village, Loa Janan Ilir District; and 0.2 hectares in Bukit Pinang Village, Samarinda Ulu District.
To control the flames in the East Kalimantan capital, Abdul stressed that the Samarinda City BPBD team is currently conducting assessments and intensive firefighting efforts alongside the municipal fire and rescue service, Katana personnel from Simpang Tiga Village, and local volunteers.
As of now, law enforcement officials are still conducting further investigations to identify the exact cause of the hotspots in both provinces. “The cause is still under investigation,” he said, while urging all stakeholders and communities in Kalimantan to increase vigilance and refrain from clearing land by burning amid the dry weather of the current dry season.