BNPB urges forest, land fire prevention down to village level

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44 minutes ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has urged regional governments to step up forest and land fire prevention efforts down to the village level by keeping command posts, patrols, and hotspot monitoring on standby.

“Our recommendation to regional governments facing potential forest and land fires is to activate operational posts and task forces down to the village level,” Acting Head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Berton SP Panjaitan, said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

According to Berton, this measure is necessary to mitigate ongoing fires in several regions while boosting preparedness for potential hydrometeorological disasters during the transition from the dry to the rainy season.

Furthermore, he stated that the agency has asked regional governments to conduct patrols and monitor hotspots, particularly in peatlands. In addition, enforcing the ban on land clearing by burning is vital.

He added that prevention efforts should also include rewetting peatlands using existing canal blocks and deep wells to help reduce fire risks.

Apart from strengthening preventive measures, BNPB urged regional governments to prepare health services and share air quality updates with the public to mitigate the impact of haze caused by the fires.

Furthermore, BNPB advised the public against burning land, gardens, or trash for any reason, adding that cigarette butts and bonfires must be completely extinguished after use.

Berton stated that BNPB has kept firefighting personnel and equipment on standby to mitigate the emergence of new hotspots amid ongoing forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“We are certainly keeping both personnel and equipment on standby in the districts and cities where fires have occurred,” he said.

The standby personnel are deployed across several provinces, including 16,387 personnel in Central Kalimantan, 14,458 in West Kalimantan, 12,287 in South Sumatra, and 7,927 in South Kalimantan.

In addition to personnel, BNPB maintains wildfire suppression equipment on standby through Regional Disaster Mitigation Agencies (BPBD), regional governments, as well as district- and city-level task forces.