"Due to the limited water sources, our efforts to extinguish the fires have been constrained," said Irfanda Rinadi, the head of BPBD Nagan Raya, on Tuesday.
Another issue faced by the officers is that since most of the burned land is peatland, the fires may reignite, he informed.
Additionally, the officers' efforts have been impeded by the wind, which is causing the fires to spread easily.
Rinadi stated that so far, the area of land burned in fires at various points in Nagan Raya district has reached 13.5 hectares.
Meanwhile, 95 percent of the fires in Pulo Kruet village, Darul Makmur sub-district, have been extinguished, he added.
Most of the fires in Kayee Uno village, located in the same sub-district, have also been extinguished.
Fires in 3 hectares of land in Lawa Batu village, Kuala sub-district, have also been put out.
"(Fires in) One hectare of burned land in Alue Ie Mameh village, Suka Makmue, Nagan Raya, have also been extinguished," Rinadi said.
The personnel involved in handling forest and land fires in the district have been drawn from the Nagan Raya BPBD, the district military command, local police, the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), and the Public Works and Public Housing Office.
The team has also involved personnel from the district's Environment and Forestry Office, Plantation Office, Agriculture Office, and the local community.
Earlier, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) urged regional authorities to establish a task force to mitigate the effects of El Nino, which can potentially trigger forest fires and drought.
The head of BNPB also called on the police and military to maintain security and take appropriate measures against the perpetrators of forest fires, illegal logging, and similar environmental crimes.
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Translator: Teuku I, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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