Bengkulu (ANTARA) – The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned Bengkulu residents in several districts to stay cautious of potential wildfires, as 26 hotspots had been detected on Friday.The hotspots were detected in certain areas of Lebong, Bengkulu Tengah, Seluma, and Bengkulu Utara districts, Muhammad Fajar, a climatologist at Bengkulu’s Fatmawati Soekarno Meteorology Station, stated. The potential wildfires could occur in the hotspot-affected areas due to the absence of rainfall over the past few weeks. Moreover, Fajar had yet to receive reports of land and forest fires. Fajar, however, urges locals to stay alert and stop clearing land through the slash-and-burn agricultural method, as Bengkulu still experiences dry season in the midst of El Nino climate pattern. The Bengkulu provincial police and several authorized agencies have drafted a standard operating procedure (SOP) for wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts, he remarked. uthorities involved in drafting the SOP include BMKG, Bengkulu Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Bengkulu military command, and National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
Source: Antara News Agency