Overcoming Karhutla, South Sumatra Police Falls Brimob Personnel

Members of Brimob Polri. (Between)

SOUTH Sumatra Regional Police (Polda) has alerted Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel to locations prone to forest and land fires (karhutla).

South Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Albertus R Wibowo said the effort was to accelerate the disaster management of forest and land fires in South Sumatra.

Albertus said the South Sumatra Police Mobile Brigade personnel deployed were equipped with equipment that could support the operation. They will mingle with the forest and land fire control team that has been formed under the command of the local government.

The forest and land fire alert team consists of the TNI, BPBD, Manggala Agni, Fire Care Communities, Karang Taruna, and Partnership Institutions that are alerted in each area in the forest and land fire-prone category.

The areas prone to forest and land fires in South Sulawesi include seven regencies, namely Ogan Komering Ilir, Musi Banyuasin, Banyuasin, Muara Enim, Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir (Pali), Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan, and Lahat,

He said that the addition of Brimob personnel in the forest and land fire alert team this year was a form of the agency's seriousness in creating a smoke-free Indonesia by forest and land fires.

This is because, he continued, forest and land fires smoke not only has a minor impact on the health, economy, and local environment but can also disrupt the stability of neighboring countries.

Where, the last case of neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia which was affected by forest and land fire smoke was sent from the island of Sumatra-Kalimantan in 2015.

According to him, this was as instructed by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Human Rights (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD in a cross-sectoral coordination meeting some time ago.

The reference refers to a report by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) which predicts this year's dry season will be hotter than the previous year.

Information from the BMKG states that the existence of the El-Nino phenomenon is one of the factors causing the increase in weather during the dry season which lasts throughout the second quarter or starting around May 2023.

Even though we have anticipated the forest and land fires in the last two years, especially South Sumatra. But Mr. Mahfud doesn't want that (karhutla) to happen. That's why we optimize the countermeasures," he said.