Hotspots In South Sumatra Increase, BPBD Enables Weather Modification At Locations Prone To Forest And Land Fires

Illustration. Weather Modification Technology Operation (TMC) at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta on January 3, 2020. (Between)

SOUTH SUMATRA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) predicts that the number of hotspots in South Sumatra Province (Sumsel) will increase in May 2023.

Head of the Emergency Management Division of the South Sumatra BPBD, Ansyori, said that based on data compiled by the South Sumatra BPBD until May 13, 2023, the number of hotspots in January was recorded at 54 points, February 43 points, March 91 points, April 227 points, and May 51 points.

"For the South Sumatra region for the number of hotspots evenly distributed in all regions, there are only a few that are mostly less, but in the current hotspot conditions it has begun to show an increase compared to the previous months, especially in April there will be an increase and in May it will also begin to increase," he said in Palembang, Monday,

His party has monitored hotspots throughout South Sumatra, especially in areas prone to forest and land fires (karhutla).

"We continue to patrol and socialize and check hotspots with the TNI and Bhabinsa in their respective working areas," said Ansori.

Therefore, the South Sumatra BPBD urges the public to be more careful in using the fire, whether it is for burning garbage, or clearing land, and it is hoped that it will not burn either cleaning or clearing land because with extreme weather conditions, it is feared that the fire could spread quickly.

Meanwhile, the South Sumatra Provincial Government has begun to activate the operation of Weather Modification Technology (TMC) as an effort to tackle forest and land fires.

The TMC was activated after the Governor of South Sumatra Herman Deru issued his permit, on Wednesday, April 26, which was then forwarded to every regional head in 17 local districts and cities.

TMC is a modification activity or engineering the weather to increase the potential for rain to fall, among others by seeding large amounts of salt into potential clouds.

This potential needs to be mitigated because it will have an impact on the availability of water for agriculture, hydropower, tourism, and economic impacts in 2015.

In addition, data obtained from the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan at that time forest and land fires resulted in a drought of 597 thousand hectares of rice plants including in South Sumatra.