BMKG: Land Fire Potentially Spread in West Aceh

A number of people's land in the Suak Raya Village area, Johan Pahlawan District, Meulaboh, West Aceh Regency was on fire. (ANTARA/HO-BPBD Aceh Barat)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) urges people in West Aceh Regency to be aware of the impact of land fires in the region over the next week, because forest and land fires (karhutla) have the potential to continue to spread.

"Based on the results of satellite image observations, currently there is no convective cloud growth that can trigger rain. This condition will last for the next week," said BMKG Meulaboh-Nagan Raya Station Praktirawan Angga Yudha as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 27.

Convective clouds are a type of cloud that is formed as a result of the convection process, due to the rise of warm, humid air in the unstable atmosphere, and often causes local rain with moderate to heavy intensity.

This cloud has a high vertical growth, like Cumulus and Cumulonimbus clouds, which have the potential to trigger extreme weather such as strong winds, lightning, and hail.

Based on satellite imagery, he continued, the area of West Aceh Regency, Nagan Raya, and its surroundings, a week ahead also has the potential to experience sunny cloudy weather, and there are no clouds that trigger rain.

In addition to the air temperature during the day is also expected to range between 31-33 degrees Celsius, so that the potential for drought will continue to occur and the fire extinguishing efforts currently being carried out by the BPBD and the joint team in West Aceh will be more difficult.

"If you look at the lack of clouds of rain growth during this week, this cloudy sunny weather is feared to support the occurrence of land fires," he said.

In addition, he said, the potential for widespread land fires in West Aceh was also caused by the strong winds blowing from the coastal areas in this area, which made it difficult for firefighters to put out the fire.

Based on satellite image monitoring, he continued, the wind blowing from the western coastal area of Aceh ranges from 10-12 knots, so this must be watched out for because it can increase the chances of land fires in West Aceh Regency and its surroundings.

In addition, said Angga Yudha, the minimal convective clouds around the sky of West Aceh and Nagan Raya also caused the widespread potential for drought in both local areas.

"If you look at the weather, it is very difficult for BPBD friends and the team in the field to put out the fire at the location of the land fire," he said.

BMKG urges the public not to burn land by burning and always be aware of the hot weather for the next week, because this weather is very extreme so that it can cause the potential for land fires to increase.