PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - In order to anticipate the impact of the peak dry season, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is preparing various steps to prevent drought and forest and land fires which often occur in a number of regions in Indonesia.

Head of BNPB Lt. Gen. TNI Suharyanto asked all parties to be aware of the impact of disasters that often occur, especially in areas that are usually hit by drought. It is estimated that July and August are the peak of the dry season, with forecast rainfall of less than 50 millimeters (mm).

"This can trigger various phenomena of meteorological drought, forest and land fires, lack of clean water, and even crop failure," said Suharyanto, Tuesday (23/7/2024).

In this way, preventive efforts are deemed necessary to reduce wider potential risks. This is in line with President Joko Widodo's direction, that preventive measures must be a priority for central and regional governments.

Furthermore, Suharyanto said that last year's learning strategies for handling forest and land fires and Final Disposal Sites (TPA) included providing assistance starting from determining alert status and emergency response, to air operations using water bombing.

Suharyanto also appealed for routine coordination meetings, patrols and preparedness calls to be held with Forkopimda ranks so that it is hoped that the incident in 2023 will not happen again.

BNPB will also assist various regional efforts to minimize the impact of drought, such as distributing clean water and digging tertiary wells.

"On this occasion, it was decided that the center would help distribute clean water, dig tertiary wells, so that it is hoped that the community's water needs in this dry season can be resolved," explained Suharyanto.

Suharyanto added that air operations using Weather Modification Techniques (TMC) could be one of the anticipatory steps if needed. (Parno)