West Kalimantan BPBD faces obstacles in tackling forest fires in two regencies
Pontianak (ANTARA) - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of West Kalimantan says efforts to tackle forest and land fires in Ketapang and Kubu Raya regencies are facing various obstacles, following fatalities caused by the fires in Ketapang Regency.
“Aside from the difficult-to-reach locations of the land fires, the limited firefighting infrastructure is also an obstacle, so the response cannot be carried out optimally,” said Acting Head of West Kalimantan BPBD Ridwan in Pontianak on Wednesday.
He said the main challenges faced by personnel are the difficulty of reaching fire locations, insufficient firefighting equipment and infrastructure, and limited water sources in affected areas.
According to Ridwan, the peatland characteristics of Ketapang and Kubu Raya make extinguishing efforts even more difficult because fire can burn below the ground surface. The situation is worsened by limited water supplies at several fire locations.
He explained that the joint team, together with land and air task forces, continues to carry out patrols to detect hotspots. If fires cannot be reached by land, water-bombing helicopters will be deployed to assist with extinguishing efforts.
Yunifar revealed that the fires in Ketapang have also claimed lives. A resident was reported to have died after allegedly falling while crossing an area shrouded in fire smoke.
“The victim is believed to have pushed through the smoke while on his way home. Due to a lack of oxygen, the victim fainted and fell at a spot where there was fire, and died while burning,” he said.
In addition to the fatality, BPBD also recorded that an elderly resident suffered burns and has been evacuated to hospital for medical treatment.
According to Yunifar, the fires in Pelang village are estimated to have spread to more than 40 hectares. The difficulty of obtaining water sources is the main obstacle to extinguishing efforts in the field.
He also requested that the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), through the West Kalimantan BPBD, station patrol and water-bombing helicopters at Rahadi Oesman Airport in Ketapang so that the response to fires can be carried out more quickly.
“Currently, almost all districts in Ketapang Regency have fire hotspots. We hope helicopters can be placed on standby in Ketapang to speed up the response,” he said.