INDONESIA RECORDS 38 FOREST AND LAND FIRES IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN AS AT MAY 4

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, May 5 (Bernama) -- Indonesia’s disaster agency has reported at least 38 forest and land fire incidents in Central Kalimantan between Jan 1 and May 4 this year, with 180 hotspots detected and more than 25 hectares of land burned.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Sukamara regency recorded the largest area affected, with 6.90 hectares burned, followed by North Barito with 4.01 hectares.

The most recent fires, reported in Lamandau and West Kotawaringin regencies and covering 0.5 and 1 hectare respectively, were successfully extinguished.

“The causes of these fires are currently under investigation by the authorities in each respective area,” BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari stated in a statement on Monday.

Central Kalimantan is one of six provinces prioritised for forest fire prevention, alongside South Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.

BNPB has called on local governments to maintain readiness by ensuring equipment, vehicles, personnel, and budgets are in place to help reduce the risk of further fire incidents.

The Indonesian government established a special task force on April 29, announced at the ‘Forest and Land Fire Preparedness’ event in Pekanbaru, organised by the central and Riau provincial governments.

The task force includes ministries and agencies from all levels to provide support in addressing forest and land fires, focusing on funding, equipment, logistics, land management, and law enforcement.

-- BERNAMA