The local firefighters are finding it difficult due to the absence of water sources near the disaster-hit areas as a result of the prolonged drought currently ravaging several villages in West Aceh District
Meulaboh, W Aceh (ANTARA) - A fire ravaged over 50 hectares of land in West Aceh District's area, Aceh Province amid the dry season, and firefighters are still unable to extinguish it, West Aceh's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Spokesman Mashuri said.

Instead of the fire being put out, it had spread to certain areas of Arongan Lambalek, Woyla Barat, Meureubo, and Johan Pahlawan Subdistricts though local authorities continued their endeavor to put it out, he said here Friday evening.

The local firefighters are finding it difficult due to the absence of water sources near the disaster-hit areas as a result of the prolonged drought currently ravaging several villages in West Aceh District, Mashuri said.

The BPBD workers are collaborating with those from the local police, military, and community to find water sources about two kilometers away from the disaster-hit villages, he said.

The dry season has triggered fires in the scorched peatlands in Aceh Province.

Related news: Aceh's 20-hectare peatland engulfed by fire amid dry season

On July 4, a fire scorched 20 hectares of peatland in two villages of Nagan Raya District, Aceh amid the dry season that has hindered fire-extinguishing efforts, Nagan Raya Disaster Mitigation Agency's (BPBD's) Acting Head Hamidi stated.

In a bid to prevent the gutting of certain peatland areas in Cot Mue Village in Tadu Raya Sub-district and Kuala Tripa Village in Tripa Makmur Sub-district, BPBD workers had built canal blockings, he revealed.

"We have been able to localize the fire by building canal blockings at several locations, but our endeavor to douse it has not yet been completely successful," Hamidi remarked, adding that the destroyed areas belong to local villagers.

During this year's dry season, efforts to prevent land and forest fires from recurring are also being made by the authorized institutions in other provinces within Sumatra Island, such as South Sumatra and Riau. (INE)

EDITED BY INE

Related news: Joint team has put out 80 percent of peatland fires in Nagan Raya Related news: Aceh hit by 283 forest fires since 2016

Translator: T. Dedi Iskandar, Rahmad Nasut
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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