These six provinces have been prioritized for forest and land fire mitigation because of their extensive critical peatland areas, vulnerability to hotspots and exposure to extreme weather risks.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forest and land firefighting operations have extinguished more than 502 hectares across six priority provinces, out of a total of 983 hectares targeted for firefighting, as informed by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
BNPB's Acting Head for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Berton Panjaitan, on Wednesday said that 481 hectares of land remained to be extinguished out of the 983 hectares target.
"Based on the distribution map, Central Kalimantan has the highest number of unextinguished areas, at over 321 hectares, followed by South Sumatra Province with over 84 hectares," he detailed.
He explained that this situation prioritizes response in South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan, followed by efforts in other provinces, such as Jambi, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and Riau.
These six provinces have been prioritized for forest and land fire mitigation because of their extensive critical peatland areas, vulnerability to hotspots and exposure to extreme weather risks.
Outside the six priority provinces, forest and land fire mitigation efforts cover more than 1,044 hectares, spanning areas from East Kalimantan to North Maluku, the agency reported.
Of that area, 44 hectares have been extinguished, leaving an estimated 1,000 hectares still requiring firefighting efforts.
“Field firefighting operations are being carried out using two main approaches: the Land Task Force and the Air Task Force,” Panjaitan said.
According to him, the Land Task Force has deployed a total of 71,878 personnel across the six priority provinces, including an additional 11,000 personnel recently deployed, primarily to Central Kalimantan, bringing the province’s total to 16,387 personnel.
Other provinces have also placed joint personnel on standby, including 14,500 in West Kalimantan, 12,285 in South Sumatra, 14,837 in Riau, 7,900 in South Kalimantan and 5,984 in Jambi.
To strengthen aerial firefighting operations, the Air Task Force increased its fleet of water-bombing and patrol helicopters from 49 to 51.
The additional aircraft came from industrial forest plantation companies and the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI).
They will support water bombing, patrols and weather modification operations.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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