Kathutla Expands, Riau Deploys 6 Water Bombing Helicopters

The BNPB helicopter bombed water on the burning peatlands in Teluk Kenidai Village, Kampar Regency, Riau. (ANTARA)

PeKANBARU - Riau Provincial Government submitted a request for assistance from six water bomber helicopters and two patrol planes to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to anticipate the spread of forest and land fires (karhutla) in the area.

"The request for helicopter assistance has been submitted to BNPB and is currently in process," said Head of the Riau Province Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) M Edy Afrizal in Pekanbaru, Friday.

He said that currently the dominant Riau coastal areas with peatlands have experienced fires, such as in Bengkalis Regency, Meranti Islands, Pelalawan, and Dumai City.

He said a number of officers from the local forest and land fire task force (task force) team were still trying hard to extinguish the fire and cool down.

"For burned areas that are close to water sources, they can still be controlled by the ground team, but at locations of fires that are difficult to access by land and minimal water sources, they certainly need the company's water bombing helicopter (water bomb) assistance," he said.

He said the BNPB had scheduled mid-April 2024 for artificial rain in Riau using weather modification technology (TMC) to anticipate forest and land fires to expand.

Jim said that TMC was indeed needed to help reduce artificial rain and wet peatlands in Riau because since the last few weeks the area has had minimal rain along with the dry season so that forests are prone to fire.

"Now the number of areas in Riau with emergency alert status of forest and land fires continues to grow, even the latest is Meranti Islands Regency and there are four regions in Riau that have set the same alert status, while forest and land fires that are still in the process of extinguishing are in Dumai and Meranti," he said.