Don't Let Your Cigarette Benefits Burn Forests, Lembata Residents This Is The Dry Season Please Be Alert

Illustration - Dry land in Lewoleba, Lembata Regency, NTT. BETWEEN/Fransiska Mariana Nuka

LemBATA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, appealed to the public to be aware of forest and land fires which pose a threat in the dry season until October 2023. "Residents are not allowed to burn forest and land carelessly, including throwing cigarette butts in any place," said Head of Prevention and Preparedness of BPBD Lembata Andris Koban in Lewoleba, Lembata Regency, quoted from Antara, Friday, July 21. NTT Province, including Lembata Regency, is in a drought emergency and forest and land fires as decided by the Governor of NTT from April 2023 to October 2023. Therefore, the public is advised to take various preventive measures so that forest and land fires do not occur. BPBD Lembata has appealed to the sub-district head, village head, and village head to forward information on the warning period to the public. "The public is given education to care for forests and land as well as active communication 1 x 24 hours if there is an incident of forest and land fires," he said. The disaster alert team or group has also been activated to always be alert to potential forest and land fires in Lembata Regency. Based on existing data, as many as 78 lands spread across nine sub-districts in Lembata Regency have a risk of burning. Andris said the Lembata BPBD also carried out active communication regarding the anticipation of forest and land fires with the Satpol PP, TNI, Polri, and disaster management communities in sub-districts, sub-districts and villages.

"Every perpetrator of forest fires can be prosecuted," he asserted.