Natuna Regency Efforts to Extinguish Forest and Land Fires Using Water Bombing Method

Natuna (ANTARA) - The Natuna Regency Government (Pemkab), Riau Islands Province (Kepri), is conducting the extinguishing of forest and land fires (karhutla) using the water bombing method with a helicopter to accelerate the handling of fire hotspots that are difficult to access from the ground. The Head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Natuna Regency, Raja Darmika, confirmed from Tanjungpinang on Wednesday that the aerial extinguishing operation is being carried out due to terrain conditions that hinder access for firefighting vehicles. “The extinguishing is still ongoing and is focused on one location, namely in Bunguran Batubi Subdistrict,” said Raja Darmika. He explained that the location was determined based on the results of an aerial patrol conducted on Wednesday morning, which showed fire hotspots in the area that need to be addressed immediately. According to him, there have been no significant obstacles in the extinguishing process so far. The helicopter used is assistance from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) after the Natuna Regency Government requested support from the central government for handling karhutla. This assistance is provided considering the limitations of facilities and infrastructure owned by the region, while the area of land affected by karhutla is estimated to reach around 400 hectares and is located in an area that is difficult to access. This effort is expected to accelerate the extinguishing process and prevent the fire from spreading further. “The helicopter is operated by professional personnel from a company that has experience in handling fires through the air,” he said.