September Predicted to Be Peak of Forest and Land Fires, Weather Modification and Water Bombing Maximised
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has said that September is predicted to be the peak of forest and land fires (karhutla). He also described September as a crucial period in handling the fires.
“Because in September we are at the peak, at the peak. Hopefully it will be true that if, for example, in September there is already rain, but from what we heard earlier from BMKG, I heard that only in early October will there be potential for rain. So this one month is our battleground,” said Raja Juli in his statement on Monday (31/8).
Raja Juli said that weather modification operations (OMC) are one of the efforts that need to be maximised while there is still an opportunity to carry out such operations.
“Because in any case, the most effective is indeed OMC, Weather Modification Operations. And while we still have a window to carry out Weather Modification Operations, we ask for advice from OMC,” he said.
In addition to OMC, water bombing and ground troops are also part of the strategy for handling forest and land fires. Raja Juli requested that troop deployment be arranged based on locations with many hotspots, and that personnel rotations be carried out to maintain the condition of the troops.
“The third is of course ground troops, the ground task force. I really hope that the deployment can be arranged as well as possible, Sir. In each location with many hotspots, how many times a day they must rotate,” he said.
Raja Juli said that the Ministry of Forestry is trying to add personnel through the BKO mechanism.
He said that arranging additional personnel is also important so that they can help the work of the main troops in the field and anticipate fatigue. Personnel who do not have special firefighting skills can still help with support work.
“Including us at the Ministry of Forestry trying to carry out BKO of around 1,000 more people, increasing,” he said.
Previously, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that hotspots in the West Kalimantan region continued to increase until today. Meanwhile, in South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, a decline was observed.
In West Kalimantan, hotspots were recorded to have risen by 3,553 points to 7,377 points, and fire spots rose by 16 points to 72 points. Visibility in West Kalimantan was observed to be less than 1 km.
Meanwhile, in Central Kalimantan, hotspots were recorded to have fallen by 147 points to 5,244 points, and fire spots rose by 16 points to 72 points. Visibility was observed to be less than 1 km.
In South Kalimantan, hotspots were recorded to have fallen by 405 points to 504 points, and fire spots rose by three points to 55 points. Visibility was observed to be less than 2 km.
For the Sumatra region, namely in Riau, South Sumatra, and Jambi, fire spots were observed to have relatively decreased. However, hotspots were observed to have increased in South Sumatra.
In detail, in the Riau region, hotspots fell by 202 points to 62 points, and fire spots fell by two points to 12 points. Visibility in the region was recorded at 4-5 km.
In South Sumatra, hotspots were recorded to have risen by 209 points to 1,013 points, and fire spots fell by seven points to 11 points. Visibility in South Sumatra was recorded at less than 5 km.
Furthermore, in Jambi, hotspots fell by 86 points to 49 points, and fire spots were recorded at four points. Visibility in this region was observed at 6-7 km.