The 15 stand-by airplanes have been provided by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as well as the Environment and Forestry Ministry.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has prepared 15 aircraft for carrying out weather modification operations to prevent forest and land fires as a number of provinces have declared a state of emergency in view of the disasters.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that the provinces comprise Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.

"The 15 stand-by airplanes have been provided by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as well as the Environment and Forestry Ministry," she informed, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

The government has decided to carry out weather modification from April to June 2023 to maintain the wetness of peatlands in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Kalimantan.

However, the minister noted that Riau province has recorded a slightly different pattern of fire occurrence compared to other regions.

The number of fires usually increases from March to April, and the number of cases falls in the following month. The number then rises again from June to August and reaches the highest level in mid-September, she observed.

She added that June marks the start of a series of months with high temperatures.

Meanwhile, regarding the prevention of fires in forests and on lands around the areas owned by private companies, the government said that is the responsibility of the respective corporations.

Earlier, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) projected that the dry season in 2023 would follow the same pattern as the one seen in 2019.

A total of 28 percent of regions in Indonesia, which include 194 seasonal zones (ZOM) determined by BMKG, are expected to experience the dry season starting in June this year.

According to BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati, the El Nino phenomenon, which is getting stronger due to the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), could trigger a drought during the dry season in Indonesia.

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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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