Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry reported that forest and land fires had ravaged 28,019 hectares of land in Indonesia from January to mid-June 2023, releasing 2.84 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

"Cross-sectoral collaboration is carried out to maintain the safety of areas, which are prone to the forest and land fires," the ministry's Director of Forest and Land Fires Control Thomas Nifinluri said in a statement quoted here Sunday.

Based on the ministry's Sipongi+ data, the five provinces with the widest forest and land fires-ravaged areas are East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), with 5,211 hectares; West Kalimantan (4,172 hectares); Lampung (2,272 hectares); Southeast Sulawesi
(1,961 hectares); and Maluku with 1,953 hectares.

The government has carried out weather modification in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and East Nusa Tenggara.

The weather modification will be continued in Indonesia's parts of Kalimantan Island to anticipate the forest and land fires that potentially occur due to the El Nino phenomenon, especially from July to October 2023.

The weather modification in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan will be carried out on June 23 and June 25 respectively by using the Cassa 212 aircraft. The same operation will also be conducted in South Kalimantan, he said.

In addition, the weather modification will also be carried out in Riau and East Kalimantan to anticipate land and forest fires in the two provinces' vulnerable areas.

The weather modification is part of efforts to prevent forest and land fires by wetting peatlands.

If hotspots appear around areas owned by private companies, the government assigns them to deal with the forest and land fires.

Nifinluri expressed hope that the synergy that has been established well can be continued and the incidence of wildfires can be made under control.

Earlier, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar in a statement on Wednesday (June 14) stated that the Indonesian Government readied 15 aircraft for carrying out weather modification operations to prevent the wildfires.

Bakar noted that seven provinces had declared an emergency alert status for the disasters. Those provinces comprise Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, NTT, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.

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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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