PALEMBANG, TheIndonesiaPost – Anticipating the 2020 climate change, the Governor of South Sumatra Herman Deru specifically invited Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) Head Nugo Putratijo, in the Governor’s living room. One of the meetings was to discuss anticipation of weather anomalies in South Sumatra Province, including anticipation of Forest and Land Fire (Karhutla).
Based on experience from previous years, Governor Herman Deru wants to anticipate early. Therefore, the Governor asked BMKG to request reports related to Hurricane La Nina, El Nino, and so on.
“We must have a calculation with existing technology, about the rainfall when and when it stops so we anticipate it, including providing equipment assistance in the district/city,” he said.
Like last year, for example in the South Sumatra weather, the rainy season tends to be minimal even dominated by the dry season for up to nine months which results in heat, dry swamps, and the threat of forest and land fires.
“In 2019, we will include land which is very much burnt due to forest and land fires. “This year, based on the 2019 experience, even the peak of forest and land fires in 2015, we must have the right calculation,” he said.
According to him, there are 10 districts in South Sumatra that are prone to Karhutla, meaning that the capital for future weather calculations is very important. Especially in the near future, it will immediately renew the Karhutla Task Force again.
“Here, because of learning from previous years, I will appoint the Regents / Mayors in the 10 exposed districts to be part of the Provincial Task Force, but he also serves as chairman in his district Task Force,” he said.
“This is the difference, if in the past the regent/mayor was only the head of the task force in his own area, we now make the regents/mayors who are exposed to forest and land become part of the Karhutla regency in the province,” he continued.
According to him, all that has the potential for forest and the land fire is forestry, so he asked the Forestry Service to make an inventory of forests that can be productive with whatever important diversity becomes productive.
Then the environment must be restored, he also asked the peat restoration agency under the control of the Environment Agency to really be able to work optimally including educating the public so as not to damage the swamp and make it productive.
“To make it productive, one of the things we try is Liberica coffee, which is grown on peatlands to be optimized. With a total of 1.4 million of our forests, which on average is already in a severe condition, how do we restore at least not produce smoke anymore by the way the land is maintained, “he said.
On that occasion, he also emphasized to all corporations engaged in plantations or who already had HGUs to be productive immediately.
“If there is a fire, believe this year the license will be revoked. so we are not kidding in this matter, “he concluded. (asm / bbs)
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