Indonesia on alert for forest fires as El Nino peaks in September

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the government remains on high alert for potential forest and land fires as Indonesia faces the peak of El Nino in September, including by intensifying weather modification operations across six priority provinces.

The number of hotspots in Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan declined toward the end of August, Antoni told a news conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

However, he stressed that the government continues to anticipate the risk of forest and land fires.

“From a natural perspective, we have not yet escaped the threat of El Nino. We are not safe from forest and land fires during this El Nino period. As I said earlier, September is our month of struggle, our field of struggle,” he said.

Weather modification operations, known locally as OMC, are being conducted to wet the land and maintain groundwater levels as part of efforts to mitigate fire risks, he noted.

“If there are areas affected by forest and land fires where OMC can create an opportunity for rain, we will conduct OMC operations,” Antoni said.

He said he also coordinated with authorities in Riau, South Sumatra, and West Kalimantan, including air force base commanders and airport heads, to allow OMC aircraft to operate until midnight whenever rain clouds form.

The government is also continuing land-wetting efforts and aerial firefighting, or water bombing, with assistance from several international partners.

Japan has provided three helicopters to support Indonesia’s fire mitigation efforts, he added.

Ground-based prevention and firefighting efforts are also ongoing, with Forestry Ministry teams working to extinguish fires at several locations.

Antoni said President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to increase the number of bore wells and canal blocks to maintain moisture levels in peatlands is being implemented, with additional equipment provided to personnel in the field.