BPBD Highlights 4 Subdistricts Most Vulnerable To Forest And Land Fires In Kubu Raya West Kalimantan, Patrols Are Also Intensified At The Airport

Illustration of fighting forest and land fires or forest and land fires. (Between)

KALBAR - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) highlighted that four sub-districts in Kubu Raya Regency, West Kalimantan (Kalbar) are most vulnerable to forest and land fires (karhutla).

Head of the Kubu Raya BPBD Secretariat, Muhammad Yassier, said that patrols were intensified in a number of areas as a precautionary measure.

"These four sub-districts (Sungai Raya, Sungai Kakap, Sungai Ambawang and Rasau Jaya) are areas that are vulnerable to forest and land fires, so we are currently intensifying routine patrols to prevent forest and land fires," said Yassier in Sungai Raya, West Kalimantan, quoted by Antara, Thursday 11 August.

Yassier explained that currently the intensity of rainfall in Kubu Raya district is starting to decrease, so his party together with a number of personnel carry out daily patrols in areas prone to forest and land fires.

He said that apart from the 4 sub-districts, his party also focused on patrols around the Supadio international airport, such as in Limbung Village, Parit Muksin II Road, Sungai Raya Dalam Village and Parit Semben Hamlet, Parit Baru Village.

Because the airport, he said, is a vital object that must be secured from forest and land fires so as not to disrupt flight schedules.

"This routine patrol is carried out so that we can detect and act quickly to provide the best service to the community in anticipating the prevention and control of forest and land fires at a number of points in the Kubu Raya district," he said.

Yassier added, for Sungai Raya Subdistrict, there are several villages that focus on patrols, including the villages of Limbung, Parit Baru, Sungai Raya Dalam, Kuala Dua, and Arang Limbung. The Rasau Jaya sub-districts include Rasau Jaya General and Rasau Jaya Dua.

"As for the Sungai Kakap sub-district, there are Punggur Kecil and Punggur Besar villages. Meanwhile, in the Sungai Ambawang sub-district, we focus on patrols in Korek and Simpang Kanan villages," he explained.

Regarding the number of hotspots, Yassier added, based on reports from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan), as well as reports from personnel on the ground so far Kubu Raya has 2 hotspots.

"Indeed, on Tuesday (August 9), we focused on patrolling around the airport, because that day there was a visit by President Joko Widodo in West Kalimantan, so we deployed a number of personnel at the airport," he said.

For that, Yassier appealed to all people in this area not to burn forests to open gardening land by burning.

"However, we still remind residents to always be on standby with related parties so that land fires do not spread to residential areas and other public facilities," he hoped.

Yassier explained that in carrying out this patrol, his party was assisted by the TNI/Polri, Manggala Agni and the Fire Care Community (MPA) to monitor hotspots in several villages.