Minister Of Home Affairs Asks South Sumatra Provincial Government To Prioritize Handling Forest And Land Fires

Illustration of forest fires (ANTARA)

The forest and land fires (Karhutla) in South Sumatra (Sumsel) are of serious concern, especially in Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) Regency. BPBD recorded that 64 forest and land fires cases occurred in OKU Regency, South Sumatra, during the September-October 2023 period.

Acting (Pj) Governor of South Sumatra Agus Fatoni said that the handling of forest and land fires is his priority, especially in the OKU area.

"One of the directions of the Minister of Home Affairs to me is to prioritize the handling of forest and land fires," Fatoni said in Palembang, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 9.

According to him, the Task Force and Forkopimda periodically visited the location of the fire points and the surrounding locations, either by air or directly by land.

"The entire results of the review will be used as material to take policies related to the handling of forest and land fires in South Sumatra," he continued.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded 1,419 hotspots in 8 provinces in Sumatra. The most hotspots are in South Sumatra Province (Sumsel) which amounts to 1,015 points.

Meanwhile, the Manager of the Operations Control Center (Pusdalops) of the OKU BPBD, Gunalfi, said that the forest and land fires cases in the area were quite high. The average burned land is a plantation and agricultural area belonging to the community in the area.

The most burned land was in Tanjung Baru Village and Canal Village with 204 hectares and 17 hectares in September 2023, respectively.

"As a precautionary measure, we are intensifying patrols in several sub-districts mapped to anticipate fires that are prone to occur during the dry season," said Gunalfi.

The joint team searched areas that were considered prone to forest and land fires, as well as extinguishing if hotspots were found.

"We again appeal to the public not to clear land by burning. In addition, they are also asked not to throw cigarette butts carelessly, especially on dry land that can trigger forest and land fires," he said.