Tasikmalaya BPBD on High Alert for Forest and Land Fires
The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java, is conducting education and outreach to the public regarding the prevention of forest and land fires ahead of the dry season. Forest and land fires are a risk across 351 villages in 39 sub-districts, where drought status conditions pose high and medium risk levels.
Tasikmalaya BPBD Chief Executive Roni AKS stated that the dry season occurring in various regions necessitates education and outreach to the community, particularly concerning forest and land fires. The dry season can lead to drought, and the risk level in each sub-district is indeed partly medium to high.
“We are striving to educate the public to always be vigilant, especially as the dry season can cause disasters ranging from drought to a lack of clean water supply, even though rain is still occurring now. Forest and land fires in our region have high and medium risks spread across 39 sub-districts,” said Roni AKS on Thursday (18/6).
According to Roni, this year’s dry season must be watched out for together because it is not only about drought, but forest and land fires must also be prevented so that such disasters do not occur. However, the drought disaster in his region is not evenly distributed across every sub-district, but it does have a medium to high risk when the dry season arrives.
“We ask the public to avoid burning rubbish in forest areas and on land, not to discard cigarette butts carelessly, to avoid the practice of clearing land by burning forests and land, and to immediately report any fires to officers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of Section for the West Java Region VI Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BBKSDA), Sarif Hidayat, said that this year’s dry season is triggering drought and a clean water crisis. Based on forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), El Niño is predicted to start having a significant impact in June, and the public should remain prepared for weather anomalies and refrain from burning rubbish.
“We from the West Java Region VI Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BBKSDA) are continuously educating the public and conducting routine patrols to prevent forest and land fires. This phenomenon has been felt since March through to June, but rainfall is still occurring even though some areas have already dried up,” he concluded.