J

ambi province is stepping up monitoring for fires to prepare for the upcoming dry season following the recent detection of hotspots by the Sultan Thaha Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Station.

The hotspots are located in Muarabulian district, Batanghari regency and Tungkal Ilir district in West Tanjung Jabung regency by the Terra and Aqua satellites.

An agency forecaster, Kurnia Ningsih, said that based on observation the hotspots were suspected to be burning land. The hot spots, however, disappeared after rains.

“We need to raise awareness of forest and land fires in anticipating the emergence of hot spots,” she said, adding that the dry season is predicted to start in May.

Jambi Governor Zumi Zola called on all palm oil companies and industrial forests operating in Jambi to be more alert to any possible land and forest fires.

“Based on the BMKG’s prediction, the dry season this year could be similar to the dry season in 2015,” he said.

Jambi was among the provinces that suffered from the country’s worst forest and land fires in 2015 when about 130,000 hectares of land were engulfed in fire, costing the province up to Rp 1.2 trillion (US$90.18 million).

That year, fires in some parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan damaged 2.6 million ha of land and forests and claimed the lives of 24 people.