BMKG Detects 16 Hotspots In East Kalimantan, Related Parties Asked To Be Alert

Illustration - PPU Regency BPBD Pusdalops Officers extinguish the fire on burned land in 2021 (Antara/HO Pusdalops PPU Regency)

JAKARTA - The Balikpapan Station Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in its detection found 16 hotspots spread across East Kalimantan (Kaltim), so all parties are advised to take care of each other so that new hotspots do not occur.

"The 16 hotspots were monitored throughout Saturday (10/6) from 01.00 to 24.00 WITA," said the Coordinator for Data and Information at the Class I Meteorological Station Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan BMKG Balikpapan Diyan Novrida in Balikpapan as reported by Antara, Sunday.

He appealed to all relevant parties and the community of East Kalimantan to always be vigilant so that there would be no more hot spots, such as not throwing cigarette butts carelessly on land or in dry forests.

Moreover, he said, East Kalimantan is currently approaching the dry season, so there will be many branches and dry leaves that are flammable. Even farmers and planters are also advised not to burn while managing the land.

Hotspots are indicators of forest or land fires detected from a location that has relatively high temperatures compared to the surrounding temperatures.

He continued that the distribution of 16 hotspots that had been observed had been informed to related parties, including the local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in order to receive further action.

Two days earlier, on Friday (9/6) his party also detected 10 hotspots in East Kalimantan and spread over four districts, namely in East Kutai, Kutai Kartanegara, Berau, and Paser Regency.

Meanwhile, 16 hotspots monitored throughout Saturday (10/6) are new hotspots that appear in different locations with different coordinate points.

The 16 hotspots are spread across four areas, namely Balikpapan and Kutai Kartanegara with one each, East Kutai with 11 points, and Berau with three points.

The details are that the hotspots in Balikpapan are located in Balikpapan Kota District, in Kutai Kartanegara Regency in Loa Kulu District, in Berau spread across Gunung Tabur, Sambaliung, and Teluk Bayur Districts.

"In East Kutai Regency, 11 hotspots were detected in two sub-districts, namely Bengalon District, there are seven points and in Kaubun District there are three hotspots," said Diyan.