JAKARTA (Bernama): Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned of an increased risk of forest and land fires in Jambi province, Sumatra, due to decreased rainfall in early August.
BMKG chief Dwikorita Karnawati said atmospheric conditions in parts of Jambi show below-average rainfall despite it being the peak of the rainy season.
"We predict rainfall will fall sharply to between 20 and 50 millimetres in the first ten days of August. This raises concerns over heightened fire risks in several areas,” she said in a statement.
According to Dwikorita, fire susceptibility maps indicate most of Jambi falls within the low-risk blue zone.
However, red and yellow zones indicating high and very high fire risk were detected from August 1 to 3 and on August 5, particularly in northern Jambi bordering Riau province.
BMKG will intensify cloud seeding efforts to prevent hotspot formation and cross-border haze. The focus will be on high-risk areas, she added.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto has commended the coordinated response to forest and land fires in West Kalimantan, with zero hotspots detected, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in a separate statement.
During a virtual meeting attended by ministries, national agencies, and West Kalimantan’s regional leadership on Saturday, Prabowo urged for any remaining fires to be extinguished immediately.
Despite recent progress, the provincial government reported 855 hotspots over the past week, affecting more than 1,149 hectares.
West Kalimantan has been under a forest fire emergency alert since April 17, which is scheduled to remain in effect until October 31, BNPB said. - Bernama
