Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported a downward trend in forest and land fires across most of Indonesia, although fire incidents continued to increase in East Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara.
Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Berton Panjaitan, said on Friday that his agency was monitoring 283 hotspots across Indonesia, covering a total area of 764 hectares.
“The latest data show that forest and land fires have occurred in several provinces, with 283 hotspots recorded across 764 hectares of land currently being handled,” he informed.
Although he did not specify the affected areas or the distribution of the fires, Panjaitan noted a significant decline in hotspots in South Papua, with an 84 percent drop from the previous day.
A decrease in the area of land covered by fires also occurred in several other regions, such as Southeast Sulawesi (38 percent), South Papua (87 percent), Central Sulawesi (6 percent), and South Sulawesi (47 percent).
He said his agency was keeping a close watch on areas where fire incidents remained on the rise while most other regions saw a decline.
BNPB monitoring data showed that fire hotspots in East Kalimantan had surged by 77 percent, while the area of land undergoing fire suppression efforts had expanded by 50 percent.
Furthermore, an increase in the area of forest and land fires was also observed in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), with a 21 percent increase.
In response to the continued rise in fire cases in the two provinces, Panjaitan said the BNPB had instructed local joint teams to maintain monitoring and push firefighting efforts.
“We continue to push for maximum firefighting efforts in East Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara, which is also seeing an increase in fires,” he remarked.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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