JAKARTA, Oct 10 — Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Tuesday warned residents in South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Nusa Tenggara of new wildfire risks, reported ANTARA News Agency.
BMKG suggested that residents in the three provinces stay alert for potential land and forest fires and restrain themselves from carrying out slash-and-burn techniques to clear land.
ANTARA earlier reported that BMKG has projected this year’s dry season to follow the same pattern as the one observed in 2019.
A total of 28 per cent of regions in Indonesia, which include 194 seasonal zones (ZOM) determined by the BMKG, were forecast to experience the dry season from June this year.
According to BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati, the El Nino phenomenon, strengthened by the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), was predicted to trigger a drought during the dry season in Indonesia.
Given 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, said BNPB head Lieutenant General Suharyanto in a recent statement.
Meanwhile, certain areas on the Indonesian island of Sumatra have been blanketed by haze from wildfires.
The South Sumatra administration has distributed 3.6 million masks to local residents in response to unhealthy air conditions caused by the smog.
According to the head of the South Sumatra Health Service, Trisnawarman, the Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) in Palembang City reached a harmful level on October 1, 2023.
Such poor air quality could seriously harm public health, he added.
The Pekanbaru city administration in Riau Province was reportedly considering closing schools if the haze, which had engulfed the region for days, continued to worsen.
— Bernama
