3 Helicopters Deployed To Overcome Forest And Land Fires In Riau Including Weather Modification Operations

The BNPB Helicopters Archives is used to support efforts to prevent and control forest and land fires in Riau Province. (ANTARA/HO BPBD Riau).

PEKANBARU - The government deployed three helicopters to support efforts to prevent and overcome forest and land fires in the Riau region.

The helicopter was used to support operations to implement weather modification technology (TMC) and carry out water bombings.

Head of the Riau Province Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), M Edy Afriza, said that in the implementation of TMC, every time the seed is around 800 kg to 1,000 kg of salt is spread in the Riau sky.

The TMC operation was carried out in districts/cities prone to forest and land fires such as Indragiri Hilir, Bengkalis, Dumai, and Rokan Hilir.

Meanwhile, the operation of water bombing using helicopters, according to him, was carried out in areas that had experienced forest and land fires.

"In recent days the air team has been operating on Rupat Island, Bengkalis Regency. The burned land is not extensive, but it needs cooling so that there is no wide fire," he said.

Three aid helicopters from the National Disaster Management Agency have been moved to Rupat Island to help extinguish land fires.

Edy also explained that apart from carrying out water bombing operations and implementing TMC, the government is intensifying routine patrols in areas prone to forest and land fires.

Routine patrol activities are aimed at accelerating the detection and control of forest and land fires.