Riau deploys three 'waterbombing' helicopters to extinguish forest and land fires

Pekanbaru, (ANTARA) - The Riau Provincial Air Task Force has deployed three ‘waterbombing’ helicopters to extinguish forest and land fires (karhutla) that are still being monitored in the Indragiri Hilir (Inhil) and Indragiri Hulu (Inhu) regencies.

The Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and Fire Department of Riau Province, Edy Afrizal, stated that in Inhil, the fire occurred in Semambu Village, Gaung District. The peatland fire has resurfaced, prompting the deployment of one waterbombing helicopter.

“Meanwhile, in Inhol, the fire is occurring in Kuala Cenaku. Firefighting efforts have deployed two waterbombing helicopter units. The fire in Kuala Cenaku has been ongoing since Monday (14/9),” he said in Pekanbaru on Saturday.

According to him, firefighting efforts have also been attempted via land routes by joint teams from the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces), Polri (National Police), and the local BPBD, including aerial firefighting efforts a short while ago. However, hotspots are still being monitored.

Therefore, he continued, to maximise firefighting efforts, two waterbombing helicopter units have been redeployed. Efforts to extinguish the forest fires are also being pursued through weather modification operations (OMC).

A total of four sorties have been conducted by a BNPB-owned Cessna Caravan 208 aircraft, registration number PK-SNM. The aircraft performed cloud seeding at altitudes of approximately 8,000 to 12,000 feet.

Through this OMC, approximately 1,000 kilograms of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) have been seeded into clouds with rain potential. Based on reports, rain has fallen evenly across almost all areas of Riau.

“From the reports we received following yesterday’s OMC, rain did indeed fall evenly in Tembilahan and Rengat. However, by chance, there was no rain at the fire location in Kuala Cenaku. In Semambu Village, where the fire is located, only light rain fell, which has not been enough to extinguish all the hotspots,” Edy explained.

Consequently, OMC will be conducted again in various regions of Riau by the Air Task Force. It is recorded that from this morning until this afternoon, three sorties of OMC have been carried out. It is hoped that rain will fall evenly across Riau again, so that the forest and land fires can be completely extinguished.