Next Week, BMKG Asks NTT Residents To Beware Of Potential Expansion Of Forest And Land Fires

Illustration- Forest fire on Flores Island, NTT. (AMONG)

KUPANG - El Tari Kupang Meteorological Station, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) appealed to residents to be aware of the potential for forest and land fires (karhutla) to spread in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) over the next week.

"In general, the NTT region is already in the dry season with scorching and hot temperatures, so it has the potential to trigger the spread of forest and land fires," said BMKG's Head of El Tari Kupang Meteorological Station Agung Sudiono Abadi in Kupang, Antara, Tuesday, May 31.

He said it was related to the weather outlook for the next week (31 May-6 June 2022) in NTT. Agung explained that the position of the sun is currently in the northern hemisphere and the NTT region has been in the dry season period.

The phenomenon of atmospheric waves or Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), he said, is also in Quadrant 6 (W. Pacific) so that it does not contribute to the process of forming rain clouds in Indonesia, including East Nusa Tenggara.

"The condition of the dry season period needs to be anticipated because it is prone to forest and land fires," he said.

In areas prone to forest and land fires, he said, the conditions of the reeds or leaves that usually cover the forest floor are in very dry conditions and are highly flammable.

Therefore, the public is advised not to carry out activities that cause hotspots in open areas where there are grass or dry leaves.

Agung said that the emergence of forest and land fires generally occurs due to human activities, whether intentional or not, such as clearing agricultural land or plantations by burning, throwing cigarette butts on piles of grass or dry leaves.

"Therefore, we urge residents to avoid activities like this because it can trigger the emergence of hotspots that can spread quickly, especially with strong winds that are dry during the dry season," he said.