Forest And Land Fires In NTT Have The Potential To Expand, BPBD Nagekeo Takes Precautions

Officers extinguish a land fire in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, in August 2019. (Antara/Nova W)

NTT - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) anticipates forest and land fires (karhutla) due to extreme weather in the area.

"First, we have carried out socialization to villages, especially villages where fires often occur, namely Aeramo Village, Anakoli Village, and Tendatoto Village. Those are some points that have been detected as hot spots in Nagekeo Regency," said Head of BPBD of Nagekeo Regency Agustinus Pone when contacted from Ende, Thursday 2 June.

Based on information obtained from BMKG El Tari Kupang Meteorological Station, there is a potential for forest and land fires to spread in NTT over the next week. This happened because NTT was already in the dry season with scorching temperatures.

Responding to this potential, the BPBD of Nagekeo Regency took steps to socialize and coordinate with the TNI-Polri with the aim of monitoring the potential for forest and land fires caused by human activities.

Agustinus said that one of the causes of forest and land fires was socio-cultural factors involving humans.

He said there will be hunting activities that will occur in the next few months by several indigenous communities.

Therefore, his party conducts integrated supervision of areas that have the potential to minimize the occurrence of forest and land fires.

BPBD is committed to ensuring that forest and land fires are not massive in Nagekeo Regency. In addition to coordinating with the TNI-Polri, the BPBD of Nagekeo Regency also cooperates with other regional apparatus organizations, such as the forestry party as a field-level guiding team.

"For the cause of this fire, we can make assumptions because it is intentional. First, hunting culture, and second, fires occur in livestock fields. So we have anticipated to carry out integrated monitoring," he said.