South Kalimantan Is On Alert For Forest And Land Fires, BNPB Lends Helicopters For Patrols To Monitor Hotspots

Helicopters assisted by BNPB for handling forest and land fires in South Kalimantan, Tuesday 9 August. (Inter-South Kalimantan Provincial Government)

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is assisting the South Kalimantan Provincial Government (Kalesl) in tackling forest and land fires (karhutla) by lending a helicopter unit for patrols.

The assistance of a Bell 206L helicopter for the South Kalimantan Karhutla Task Force (Sargas) was handed over at the Syamsuddin Noor Airbase Banjarmasin on Tuesday, August 9.

Head of the South Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency R Suria Fadliansyah said this helicopter would be optimized for forest and land fire patrols.

"With these helicopters, the task force's movement will be faster and more effective in tackling forest and land fires," he said, according to Antara.

This, he continued, was in accordance with the direction of the Governor of South Kalimantan H Sahbirin Noor who wanted speed in tackling forest and land fires.

"Protect the forests in South Kalimantan from fires. Indeed, our forests are the lungs of the world. Letting our forests burn is the same as allowing us to destroy the environment," he said, imitating the governor's message.

Suria said that the presence of the Karhutla Task Force is a form of seriousness, sincerity and at the same time the South Kalimantan Provincial Government's readiness to move quickly in dealing with forest and land fires.

The helicopter will continue to serve in this province until the forest fire emergency alert status ends this year.

The South Kalimantan Provincial Government has set the alert status for haze due to forest and land fires from June 15-15 November 2022.

This is a follow-up to the BMKG release which states that the dry season will start in July and will peak in August 2022.

The South Kalimantan Provincial Government has submitted a circular to the regents/mayors of all South Kalimantan to anticipate forest and land fires and on May 31 2022 a coordination meeting to anticipate forest and land fires was held at the South Kalimantan Provincial Secretariat in Banjarbaru.