"Some 102 hotspots were detected in 7 districts on Thursday," spokesperson of the Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman-Sepinggan Meteorology Station, Diyan Novrida, informed here on Friday.
The agency detected 34 hotspots in Kutai Kartanegara, 28 in Kutai Timur, 23 in Paser, 12 in Berau, 3 in Kutai Barat, 1 in Penajam Paser Utara, and 1 in Mahakam Ulu, she said.
To reduce and manage the risks of wildfires, she reiterated her call for locals' active participation in assisting the government's wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts.
She urged residents to avoid careless activities like as burning waste, throwing cigarette butts on the ground, and slash-and-burn land-clearing practices.
Related news: Three provinces should stay alert for new wildfire risks: BMKG
ANTARA has reported earlier that the agency has projected that this year's dry season will 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 the agency have been forecast to experience the dry season from June this year.
BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said that a strengthened El Nino phenomenon due to the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) could trigger a drought during the dry season in Indonesia.
Taking note of the serious impact of the El Nino climate pattern on several regions in Indonesia, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is collaborating with ministries and institutions to apply weather modification technology (TMC) to extinguish fires and support other needs.
In the last two months, TMC has been implemented continuously in Riau, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Java, Jambi, Jakarta, South Kalimantan, and South Sumatra, BNPB head, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, said in a recent statement.
Related news: BNPB deploys 130 personnel to extinguish wildfires on Mount Lawu
Translator: M.Ghofar, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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