This year's forest and land fires are reaching 300 thousand hectares. This figure is far less than 2019 when the area covered had reached nearly 1.6 million hectares
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo highlighted that the cases of forest and land fires (karhutla) decreased by 81 percent in November 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in 2019.

"This year's forest and land fires are reaching 300 thousand hectares. This figure is far less than 2019 when the area covered had reached nearly 1.6 million hectares," Monardo stated during a press conference held to discuss the 2020 disaster kaleidoscope, events related to natural disasters in Indonesia in 2020, and projections of phenomena and potential disasters in 2021 monitored virtually in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Monardo remarked that the data on forest and land fires for December 2020 was awaited and will be released by the Director of Forest and Land Fire Control, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK).

A decline in the number of cases of forest and land fires generally occurred in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.

Monardo noted that the success in reducing the incidents of forest and land fires in 2020 could not be separated from the cooperation between the central government, commanded by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), local governments, and other agencies.

Each institution has a different role to play. For instance, the BMKG, which always provides the latest data related to weather and the potential for drought, including the application of weather modification technology (TMC) for conducting cloud seeding.

"Weather modification technology can be applied for wetting part of the dry land, thereby reducing the risk of fires," he remarked.

The military also played a major role in suppressing cases of forest and land fires in the country, especially by readying several aircraft in collaboration with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BBPT).

"The role of the Manggala Agni team is also huge, especially in the field with the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD)," he added.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Azis Kurmala
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