Difficult To Break Through Hotspots, Ogan Ilir Police Modified Water Cannon To Put Out Forest And Land Fires

Ogan Ilir Police modified 'water cannon' to extinguish forest and land fires (ANTARA/Yudi Abdullah/23)

SOUTH SUMATRA - Ogan Ilir Resort Police (Polres) modified the mass-propelled water or water cannon spraying car to help extinguish forest and land fires (karhutla) in their area.

"In the condition of the increase in forest and land fires in the last few months, we have used water cannon cars by modifying water spraying equipment and hoses," said Ogan Ilir Police Chief AKBP Andi Baso Rahman in Indralaya, Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra (Sumsel), Wednesday, September 20, confiscated by Antara.

He explained that the innovation and creativity of Ogan Ilir Police personnel was motivated by the frequent difficulty of accessing fire engines to forest and land fires, especially in swamplands and peatlands.

"Reflecting on the forest and land fires case and the difficulty of extinguishing it, I assigned members to use water cannon cars by modifying them into fire extinguishers," he said.

The modified mass blocking car reached a hotspot of up to 1,000 meters. He said that without modification and additional Y water connection from the water cannon only reached a distance of 100 meters.

"The solution to get to the location of the fire that is difficult for the car to pass, then we turn the vehicle into a very effective spray engine that is further away from spray distance," he said.

According to him, through the modification of the water cannon car, it is hoped that it can suppress forest and land fires in the 2023 dry season. In addition, his party continues to urge the public to take various forest and land fire prevention measures.

"We continue to urge the public to always preserve the environment and not to open land by burning, because anyone without exception, whether intentional or unintentional, is proven to burn land and will be punished by law," said Andi Baso.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Ogan Ilir Edi Rahmat explained, throughout the 2023 dry season there were 400 hectares of land directly adjacent to the city of Palembang experiencing forest and land fires, especially in Indralaya, North Indralaya, Pemulutan, and West Curture Districts.

To prevent wider forest and land fires, his party, supported by TNI, Polri, Manggala Agni, and related agencies, continues to patrol.