Entering The Dry Season, The West Sumatra Regional Government Starts Anticipating Forest Fires

Illustration of forest fires (ANTARA)

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of West Sumatra appealed to local governments and the public to be aware of the potential for fires due to hot weather that hit the area over the past few weeks. "We have written to districts and cities to increase awareness of potential disasters due to hot weather," said Acting Head of West Sumatra BPBD Arry Yuswandi quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, May 25. Letter Number 300.3/299/BPBD/2023 follows up with the National Disaster Management Agency Letter Number: B49/BNPB/D II/BP.03.02/2023 dated 13 March 2023 concerning Early Warning and Preparedness Steps Facing Meteorological Droughts. "Based on information from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) there are indications of meteorological drought potential so that in the next three months several districts/cities in West Sumatra," he said. Meteorological dryness can be followed by reduced water supplies for households and agriculture as well as increasing potential for bush, forest, forest, and housing fires. "Based on predictions, West Sumatra has just entered the dry season in June 2023, we urge the District/city Disaster Management Agency in West Sumatra to anticipate and deal with drought as well as efforts to anticipate the impact of such meteorological drought," he said. He said. The regional government should also be able to further optimally carry out sustainable watershed management (DAS) areas, water storage at the end of this rainy season to meet lakes, reservoirs, reservoirs, reservoirs, retention ponds, and other artificial water storage in the community.. In addition, it is necessary to carry out monitoring and field reviews of residents in the North, South Coast to anticipate and deal with the potential of forest fires. The community also needs to be given education related to the impact of meteorological drought so that it can save the use of clean water and carry out agricultural fields that do not need a lot of water. "It is also reminded not to do a lot of burning in the land because it has the potential to cause fires," he said. The hot weather that hit.

Head of the South Coast BPBD Preparedness and Logistics Division Defri Siswanti said the burned land area continued to grow. It is estimated that it reaches hundreds of hectares. Restrictions on equipment, the location of the incident was far from the logistics center and the poor communication network made it difficult for officers to extinguish the fire.