"The occurrence of wildfires is expected to rise between June and July," said Israr Albar, head of the ministry's Forest Fire Mitigation Division, on Wednesday.
He said that nearly 100 percent of the wildfires are caused by humans, and the affected land could expand amid extreme environmental heat.
He remarked that anthropogenic factors, however, were not only found as the main causes of wildfires in Indonesia but also across many tropical countries in Southeast Asia, especially concerning peatland fires.
According to Albar, to prevent and mitigate the wildfires, the ministry has conducted weather modification operations in South Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi — the provinces most vulnerable to forest fires.
The ministry has also activated the Manggala Agni — the land and forest fire brigade — comprising almost 1,000 personnel stationed in 17 regions nationwide.
Manggala Agni personnel also collaborate with local communities to support the forest fire prevention and mitigation efforts by training about 11,000 volunteers in 27 provinces, Albar added.
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Translator: Lintang BP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Anton Santoso
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