BMKG Issues An Early Warning Of Forest And Land Fire On Timor Island

The forest and land fires that hit the Mount Ile Mandiri area in Larantuka City, the capital of East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara

KUPANG - El Tari Kupang Meteorological Station, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an early warning of forest and land fires (karhutla) in various areas spread across Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

"Some areas on Timor Island are in a very easy status for forest and land fires to occur," said the Head of the BMKG El Tari Kupang Meteorological Station, Agung Sudiono Abadi, in Kupang, Friday, May 13.

He said this was related to the early warning of forest and land fires in the NTT region which took effect on May 13, 2022.

A number of areas on Timor Island that have the potential for forest and land fires are Kupang City, most of Kupang Regency, South Central Timor, and a small part of North Central Timor, Belu, and Malacca.

Agung explained that in these areas, weeds and leaves usually cover the forest floor in very dry conditions.

Thus, if hotspots occur, they have the potential to cause forest and land fires that can spread quickly, supported by strong winds that are dry in the dry season.

Agung said that the potential for forest and land fires generally occurs as a result of human actions, whether intentional or not, such as clearing agricultural/plantation land by burning grass.

In addition, dispose of cigarette butts in open areas where there are grass or dry leaves that are easily caught by fire.

"Therefore, we hope that the public is aware of this and mitigates it by not carrying out activities that trigger hotspots in the open," he said.