Karhutla In Kampar Enters 10th Day, 3 Hectares Of Peat Land Still On Fire

Illustration of forest fires (ANTARA)

Fires and land (karhutla) have occurred again in Riau. The hotspots were observed in Hamlet II, Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar Regency, with an area of burned land of up to eight hectares. As of Thursday, July 24, the Rimbo Panjang forest and land fires had not been completely extinguished even though 10 days the officers had struggled to extinguish them.

The Manggala Agni Daops IV team together with TNI and Polri personnel continued to try to extinguish the fire in the peat area which became the location of the fire. Of the total 8 hectares that burned, 5 hectares had been successfully extinguished, but 3 hectares of others were still emitting smoke and coal.

Secretary of Manggala Agni Daops IV Sumatra, Nadia Dwi Utami explained, the main difficulty in extinguishing is the limited water sources around the location and the condition of deep peatlands. In addition, strong winds accelerate the spread of fire, making the extinguishing process more complicated.

We have been trying to extinguish the fire at this location since 10 days ago. However, the fire was difficult to extinguish because of the deep peatland. The minimal water source and strong winds also add to the difficulty of extinguishing it," explained Nadia.

To overcome the water crisis, the fire team assisted by the local village government has dug up ditches using excavators to get more water supplies. However, due to conditions that have not allowed it, the extinguishing and cooling process had to be temporarily suspended.

"We will continue the blackout once the water is available again," concluded Nadia.

The Kampar land fire is again a reminder of the high vulnerability of peatland to fire, especially during dry season.

With the support across agencies and community involvement, efforts to extinguish the fire will continue to prevent the spread of Rimbo Panjang forest and land fires and the impact of smog that could harm more parties.