South Sumatra BPBD Increases Land Patrol To Check Forests And Land For Residents To Prevent Forest And Forest Fires

Illustration of BPBD officers extinguishing forest and land fires. (Antaranews)

SOUTH Sumatra (Sumsel) Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has increased ground and air patrols to prevent the spread of forest and land fires (karhutla).

"Our officers are supported by the joint forest and land fires response task force in recent weeks to increase ground and air patrols to prevent a wider fire that could cause a smog disaster," said Head of South Sumatra BPBD, Iriansyah in Palembang, South Sumatra, Tuesday, September 12, confiscated by Antara.

He said ground patrols were carried out by checking forest areas and agricultural or plantation areas that were mapped prone to fire.

According to him, if there is a fire in forest areas and agricultural land or plantations owned by communities and plantation companies, quick and appropriate action can be taken.

With preparedness, he said, it is hoped that forest and land fires can be controlled so that there will be no major fires that can cause environmental damage and health problems as well as community activities caused by smoke.

He explained that a number of areas were targeted by patrols such as forest and land areas prone to forest and land fires in the Ogan Ilir Regency, Ogan Komering Ilir, Banyuasin Regency, and Musi Banyuasin.

To carry out air patrols, his party is supported by several patrol helicopters assisted by BNPB which have the ability to carry 5,000 liters of water to extinguish forest fires and cool land.

"The air patrol team carried out wetting of land in areas where many hotspots were detected and tried to extinguish the fire if they saw a plantation or forest area burned," he said.

In addition to making efforts to prevent and control forest and land fires, his party also invited all parties and levels of society to take various measures to prevent land fires around residential areas, peatlands, agriculture and plantations, as well as forest areas.

Preventive measures such as not starting a fire or deliberately burning garbage, harvest residue, and burning other objects.