“There are strategic steps, such as fire patrols, and measures taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in coordination with the Indonesian Military/National Police (TNI/Polri), also the readiness of local governments,” Amin informed at the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarmasin on Friday.
Apart from the technical side, he said, substantive and coordinative steps have been prepared by the government through a ministerial coordination meeting led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD.
The meeting involved the Environment and Forestry Ministry in anticipating the risks of drought and its potential impacts.
During the meeting, the government finalized mitigation and anticipation efforts by reflecting on past experiences.
“We will improve the experience (in handling potential drought). Based on the (weather) prediction, mitigation and anticipation have been prepared,” the VP added.
Meanwhile, South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor expressed his region’s readiness to face any potential drought or forest fires. Anticipatory steps have been carefully prepared ahead of the dry season.
“South Kalimantan always puts effort before entering the dry season, so we make preparations during the rainy season,” Noor said.
He informed that during the rainy season, the provincial government makes preparations to face the dry season while anticipating any flood potential.
“So, in times of drought, we already deal with (rainy season). In this condition, we clean the river because the rain may trigger flooding,” he added.
Earlier, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) had prepared a forest and land fire prevention strategy based on a projected decline in rain intensity in 2023, which could put Indonesia at risk of a worse drought situation compared to the past three years.
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