Anticipating Forest And Land Fires, South Sumatra Prepares Five Patrol Helicopters And Water Bombing

Helicopters belonging to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) extinguished land fires from the air (water bombing). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Forest and land fires (karhutla) are a serious annual threat in various parts of Indonesia, especially when the dry season arrives. The impact is not only damage to the environment and public health due to smog, but also disrupts economic and educational activities.

South Sumatra Province is one of the vulnerable areas that often experience forest and land fires on a large scale. As an anticipatory step, the South Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) received five helicopter units from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

The fleet will be used for air patrol and extinguishing activities using the water bombing method in the event of a fire.

"For support from BNPB, South Sumatra will receive five helicopters. Two will be used for patrols and the other three will be prepared for water bombing," said Head of the South Sumatra BPBD Emergency Management Division, Sudirman, in Palembang, as quoted by ANTARA.

He said that two of the five helicopters had arrived and are now on standby at Sri Mulyono Herlambang Air Base (Lanud SMH), Palembang. The number of helicopters placed is dynamic and can be added if conditions in the field worsen.

"If this year's forest and land fires are bigger than the previous year, we will propose additional fleets. However, of course, our hope is that this incident will not increase," he said.

Sudirman also highlighted the potential for a long dry season which is predicted to be more extreme than in 2024, so strengthening preventive measures is very crucial.

As of the middle of this year, there have been 10 local governments in South Sumatra that have set emergency alert status for forest and land fires. These areas include Musi Rawas, Ogan Ilir, Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI), Banyuasin, Musi Banyuasin (Muba), PALI, Lahat, Prabumulih, Muara Enim, and the South Sumatra Provincial Government themselves.