Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) and the Central Kalimantan (Central Kalimantan) Disaster Management and Fire Service Agency (BPBPK) held a coordination meeting to evaluate the handling and control of forest and land fires (Karhutla) in the Central Kalimantan region in 2020, at the Royal Global Hotel, Palangka Raya, on Thursday (17/12/2020)
The meeting was opened by the Regional Secretary (Sekda) of Central Kalimantan, Fahrizal Fitri, represented by the Assistant I of the Central Kalimantan Regional Secretariat, Hamka.
“Thank God, in 2020, Central Kalimantan did not have forest and land fires. And we also continue to socialize and form task force teams to the sub-district and village levels. We will even prepare the equipment,” said Hamka at the opening of the evaluation meeting.
Meanwhile, Acting Head of Central Kalimantan BPBPK, Darliansjah, through the Head of Emergency and Logistics, Erlin Hardi, said that currently for overcoming forest and land fires, his party emphasizes more on prevention and preparedness efforts. For this reason, in this evaluation coordination meeting, his party wants to prioritize the determination of disaster status, in order to minimize the impact of the disaster.
“This means that we no longer set the alert status when the condition of the disaster is already big, but when there is a small potential for disasters, both forest and land fires, floods, and so on. So that the level of impact can be smaller,” said Erlin.
On the other hand, Deputy Director I of BNF Indonesia, Yunsiska Ermiasi said that the success of handling and preventing forest and land fires in 2020 cannot be separated from the rainy season, as there were no hotspots found in 2020.
As an environmental activist in Central Kalimantan, in an effort to overcome and prevent forest and land fires, his party has done various things, such as raising funds for the Fire Attack Team (TSA) and forming the Fire Concern Community (MPA) in areas prone to forest and land fires.
“But since 2017, after receiving funding and equipment from the government, we have formed two MPA groups in areas prone to forest and land fires, namely in Kereng Bangkirai and Sabaru, with the hope of being able to tackle forest and land fires more quickly,” Yunsiska concluded.
