KDM aims to extinguish Ciremai forest fires within two days
Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) is targeting the complete extinguishing of forest and land fires in Mount Ciremai National Park (TNGC), Kuningan Regency, within two days.
Speaking optimistically at Gedung Pakuan in Bandung on Friday, Dedi said emergency measures had been secured, including helicopter water-bombing and the deployment of 500 personnel to clear natural channels.
The aerial emergency response is being supported by helicopters from the Ministry of Defence, the Indonesian Military Headquarters, the Indonesian Air Force and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The aircraft will help overcome difficult access to the mountain summit and the limited availability of water near the fire fronts.
Dedi said the area affected by the fire on Mount Ciremai was 30 hectares, not 60 hectares as previously reported, and that only 20 per cent remained affected by fire.
“The burned area covers 30 hectares, not 60 hectares. After the firefighting operation the previous day, an estimated 20 per cent of the hotspots remained, and these were in areas that were not particularly hazardous,” Dedi said.
The former Purwakarta regent explained that aerial water-bombing was the only option because it was extremely dangerous for ground personnel to reach the summit.
“How could people climb the mountain to do it manually? And what would they use to put out the fire at the summit? There is no water source there. Even if they had equipment, how many people would be capable of climbing to the summit?” Dedi said.
In parallel, the West Java provincial government has deployed 500 joint personnel to clear natural channels on the mountain slopes of accumulated rubbish, bamboo trunks and dry wood.
The work is intended to ensure that, when rain falls, water can flow through the channels and create natural firebreaks to stop flames spreading to other areas of vegetation.
“The rubbish is being removed so that, when water comes down, the channels can function and help prevent the fire from crossing over,” he said.
Regarding the suspected cause of the fire, Dedi said he believed someone may have irresponsibly burned grass to clear land for farming ahead of the planting season.
“Perhaps someone burned the grass because November is approaching. Farmers usually start planting around then,” Dedi said.
Dedi said the wildfire response had been reported to and co-ordinated directly with the central government through the Minister of State Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretary.
“I asked for guidance because there was a fire in Ciremai. The Minister of State Secretariat asked for Ciremai to be dealt with. I also reported it to the Cabinet Secretary,” he said.
As well as focusing on extinguishing the fire, Dedi raised allegations of another environmental crime: the theft of sonokeling timber in the TNGC conservation area. He offered a cash reward of Rp10 million to anyone willing to identify the alleged perpetrators.
“Anyone who can provide information about the sonokeling thieves will receive a reward of Rp10 million,” he said.