Jakarta – The ministry of environment and forestry (KLHK) reported that forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Indonesia during the period of January to June 2023 dropped by 14.49 percent to 50,570 hectares as compared to the Karhutla during the same period in 2022.
“But despite the decrease, all stakeholders should continue watching out the fire possibilities as BMKG (meteorology, climatology and geophysics board) has forecast that the El Nino will hit Indonesia at low to moderate level during the second semester this year,” KLHK’s Karhutla Control Director Thomas Nifinluri said on Monday, 17 July 2023.
Based on data from Sipongi.menlhk.go.id, During the first semester 2023 the largest Karhutla was seen in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at 5,211 hectares, followed by West Kalimantan at 4,172 hectares, Lampung at 2,272 hectares, Southeast Sulawesi at 1,961 hectares, Maluku at 1,953 hectares, Riau 1,860 hectares, Central Sulawesi at 1,499 hectares and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) at 1,413 hectares.
Thomas said that one of the functions of the KLHK based on the presidential instruction (Inpres) No.3/2020 on tackling forest and land fires is to supervise efforts of controlling the Karhutla in regions.
Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has assigned first echelon senior officials of the KLHK to advise and supervise the Karhutla controlling efforts in regions.
According to Thomas, KLHK has facilitated the regional governments in synchronizing the implementation of the finance minister regulation No. 216/PMK.07/2021 in regions to optimize the use the revenue sharing fund & reforestation fund (DBH-DR) for controlling the Karhutla, especially because the year 2024 will see the end of the use of the DBH-DR for regencies and mayoralties.
“In the near future, Indonesia will host the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) that will be launched this year in conjunction with Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN,” said Thomas.
He said that one way to reduce the Karhutla in Indonesia is through the operation of weather modification technology (TMC). The national research and innovation’s (BRIN) Laboratory Management Coordinator Budi Harsoyo said that the latest TMC will be conducted in South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.
Budi said that the TMC has been actually started since April 2023. It has been conducted in the provinces of Riau, NTT, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Jambi. “With the TMC the Karhutla had been reduced significantly, and even in West Kalimantan it had been maintained at zero case,” said Budi. (*)
Source: Metrotvnews.com | Featured image via bpbd.babelprov.go.id
