PNKT deploys Karang Taruna to help tackle forest and land fires in Sumatra-Kalimantan
The National Management of Karang Taruna (PNKT) has deployed Karang Taruna personnel and volunteers to assist in handling forest and land fires (karhutla) in several areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
“After receiving direction and orders from the Chairman, we immediately consolidated Karang Taruna ranks in the affected regions. We deploy our personnel to help according to needs and authority, especially supporting officers, volunteers, and affected communities,” said PNKT Deputy Chairman for Disaster Response and Environment Arfan, quoted in Jakarta on Thursday.
Arfan, who is also Chairman of the PNKT Disaster Response Task Force, explained that the deployment of Karang Taruna personnel was carried out through the Provincial Karang Taruna Management (PPKT) in the affected areas, accompanied by the dispatch of tents and operational funding support.
He said that Karang Taruna personnel deployed in five priority provinces had been consolidated to support handling work in the field. The five provinces are Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan, which based on initial mapping cover 17 affected districts and cities.
According to Arfan, the deployment of personnel is carried out with attention to the needs of each region.
Karang Taruna, he continued, can help through the establishment and management of command posts, support for logistics distribution, communication and reporting of field conditions, community mobilisation, and support for volunteers working around forest and land fire locations.
In the handling concept prepared by the PNKT Disaster Response Task Force, Karang Taruna is positioned as a supporting element for community preparedness, ranging from prevention, early detection, initial response, communication support, to post-incident handling. Karang Taruna personnel are not directed to carry out firefighting in dangerous conditions without training, personal protective equipment, and accompaniment by competent officers.
To strengthen personnel in the field, PNKT is also sending 16 tents that will be used, among other things, as command posts and places to support volunteer activities. Four tents are being sent to Riau, four to South Sumatra, three to Jambi, three to West Kalimantan, and two to Central Kalimantan.
The dispatch is being carried out via air cargo with an estimated arrival in each region within one to two working days.
In addition to tents, PNKT has distributed operational funds to PPKT in the five provinces, namely Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. The support is being used to meet operational needs and urgent needs in the field.
Previously, the PNKT Disaster Response Task Force had coordinated with the Ministry of Forestry, the relevant Forest and Land Fire Control Centres, and Karang Taruna management in the affected areas to obtain the latest developments. Mapping shows that hotspot conditions are dynamic, so personnel consolidation and field support must be continuously adjusted.
PNKT is also preparing follow-up measures in the form of education on preventing land burning, early detection, community-based patrols, disaster communication, and post-fire environmental recovery.