BNPB: Eight Hectares Of Land In Palangka Raya Hangus Affected By Forest And Land Fires
The process of extinguishing land fires by a joint team in Marine Regency, South Kalimantan Province, Monday (29/5/2023). (ANTARA/HO-BNPB)

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that 8.31 hectares of land in Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan, were scorched by forest and land fires (karhutla).

Based on a report from the Operations Control Center of the Palangkaraya City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), forest and land fires occurred in the peat field which had been extinguished.

"The fire that occurred on Sunday (28/5) occurred at four points, namely in Bukit Batu, Jekan Raya, Pahandut, and Sebangau sub-districts," said Palangkaraya City BPBD Operations Control Center officer Nasir, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 30.

Nasir reported that the burned parts were at the top and at the root or at the bottom. Currently, the fire has been successfully controlled by extinguishing it directly on land.

After several forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan in May 2023, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government declared an emergency status for forest and land fires for 167 days or approximately six months from Monday (29/5) to Friday (10/11).

The determination of the emergency alert status was carried out because previously there were four regions that had declared emergency alert status for forest and land fires, namely Palangkaraya City, Sukamara Regency, Lamandau, and South Barito.

With this status, the Forest and Land Fire Emergency Management Command Post in the Central Kalimantan Province was reactivated to speed up handling in the event of forest and land fires.

Karhutla also occurs on the other side of Kalimantan Island. Five hectares of land in Sungai Pinang Village, Mining Ulan District, Tanah Laut Regency, South Kalimantan Province, caught fire on Monday (29/5).

BPBD Tanah Laut Regency reported that the fire did not cause any casualties.

BPBD together with Manggala Agni and other related parties immediately dispatched personnel to extinguish the fire. The fire was extinguished directly by the fire brigade team by spraying water at the burning points.

Apart from Tanah Laut Regency, forest and land fires also hit three hectares of land in Banjarbaru City. The incident occurred on Monday (29/5).

The Banjarbaru City BPBD reported that the fire had been successfully extinguished. Until now, BPBD is still investigating the cause of the fire.

Responding to the potential for forest and land fires that occur every year in Indonesian territory, BNPB urges local governments and the public to increase preparedness.

In the context of prevention, cooperation with various parties is needed from an early age. Local governments can do wetting to prevent hotspots from forming.


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