KDM requests suspension of mountain climbing activities amid rising forest fires

The fires have affected 178 villages and sub-districts across 107 districts throughout West Java.

Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has instructed the temporary closure of mountains to climbing activities, following an increase in the area of burnt land and forests in West Java, which rose from 196.40 hectares to 228.07 hectares in the last week.

Speaking in Bandung on Tuesday, Dedi Mulyadi requested mountain area managers to temporarily close these regions to climbing activities to prevent fires from spreading further in the mountains during the dry season.

Dedi expressed concern that fires lit by climbers could trigger land fires, as well as discarded cigarette butts left by hikers.

“Mountain climbing is temporarily closed because there are concerns that climbers might light fires,” said Dedi.

The fires have occurred across 178 villages and sub-districts in 107 districts throughout West Java.

In various regions, there have been 156 fire incidents. The three regencies/cities with the highest number of fires are Sumedang Regency (21 incidents), Majalengka Regency (17 incidents), and Bandung Regency (16 incidents).

“In terms of land area, the largest fires occurred in Sukabumi Regency, reaching 49.20 hectares, Majalengka Regency at 26.16 hectares, and Bandung Regency at 24.80 hectares,” said Hadi Rahmat Hardjasasmita, Junior Expert Public Relations Officer for the West Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), at another location.