Modifikasi Cuaca Berhasil Melembabkan Lahan di Kalimantan Barat
Weather Modification Brings Successful Land Moistening to West Kalimantan
Pontianak (ANTARA) – Kepala Pusat Penelitian Limnologi dan Sumber Daya Air (LSDA) Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) Hidayat mengatakan, untuk mitigasi kebakaran lahan dan hutan di wilayah Kalimantan Barat, PT Smart Cakrawala Aviation telah melakukan upaya mitigasi kebakaran hutan dan lahan di wilayah Kalimantan Barat. berhasil melakukan pelembaban lahan melalui Teknologi Modifikasi Cuaca (WMT).
“Saat ini WMT merupakan salah satu inisiatif penelitian modifikasi cuaca di Pusat Penelitian LSDA-BRIN. WMT merupakan alat yang efektif dalam meningkatkan ketinggian air danau dan permukaan air, serta melembabkan lahan untuk mencegah kebakaran hutan. Dalam operasi ini BRIN mengawasi dan mendampingi Smart Aviation melalui tenaga ahli teknik utama di bidang WMT dari BRIN,” kata Hidayat usai memulai operasi WMT di Lanud Supadio, Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat, Selasa.
Hidayat mengatakan, untuk mengantisipasi musim kemarau tahun 2023 yang diperkirakan akan semakin kering akibat dampak El Niño, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB) akan melakukan mitigasi kebakaran hutan dan lahan dengan melakukan pelembaban lahan gambut melalui pemanfaatan potensi awan di atmosfer. Wilayah Kalimantan Barat.
Menurut Hidayat, PT Smart Cakrawala Aviation sebagai salah satu operator WMT swasta mendapat kepercayaan untuk melakukan pengoperasian WMT melalui surat instruksi bernomor B-253/KA/BNPB/PD.01.04/05/2023 yang diterbitkan Kepala BNPB. tanggal 19 Mei 2023.
“Operasi WMT ini dilakukan dalam rangka Kesiapsiagaan Darurat Bencana Asap Akibat Kebakaran Hutan dan Lahan di Provinsi Kalimantan Barat Tahun 2023. Operasional penerbangan WMT dimulai pada Rabu (24/5) selama 15 hari ke depan, tepatnya hingga Rabu (7 /6), dengan penerbangan diberangkatkan dari posko yang ditempatkan di Pangkalan TNI AU Supadio di Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat,” kata Hidayat.
Sementara itu, Abetnego Panca Putra Tarigan, Wakil Kepala Staf Pembangunan Manusia Kantor Eksekutif Presiden (KSP), menyatakan kerugian akibat bencana kebakaran hutan dan lahan tahun 2019 mencapai Rp. 75 triliun, berdasarkan data BNPB. Oleh karena itu, upaya mitigasi kebakaran hutan dan lahan menjadi sangat penting.
“Kami sebagai Staf Presiden mendukung penuh mitigasi karhutla sejalan dengan arahan Presiden yang selalu menekankan pentingnya upaya preventif terhadap karhutla,” kata Abetnego.
Selain itu, Marsekal Pertama Prasetiya Halim, Komandan Lanud Supadio, menyatakan siap mendukung penuh seluruh kegiatan operasi WMT di Kalimantan Barat.
Tono Sumarsono, Kasubdit Dukungan Logistik dan Peralatan BNPB, mengatakan penanganan bencana kebakaran hutan masih menjadi prioritas utama BNPB. Selain pemadaman kebakaran di lokasi, upaya mitigasi melalui pelembaban lahan melalui WMT juga dinilai penting.
“Operasi WMT ini dijadwalkan 15 hari ke depan, mengingat potensi awan yang ada menjelang memasuki musim kemarau.” kata Tono.
Samsul Bahri, pakar teknik modifikasi cuaca BRIN yang turut membantu pelaksanaan operasi WMT oleh Smart Aviation, mengungkapkan dampaknya di Kalimantan Barat mulai terlihat. Hal ini terlihat dari titik api yang semakin berkurang, kondisi kerentanan kebakaran yang berangsur menuju aman, dan meningkatnya muka air tanah di kawasan lahan gambut.
“Mudah-mudahan sampai hari terakhir kita bisa terus melakukan cloud seeding pada potensi awan hujan sehingga kebakaran hutan dan lahan di wilayah Kalimantan Barat dapat dihindari.” kata Samsul.
Wartawan : Slamet Ardiansyah
Redaktur: Evi Ratnawati
HAK CIPTA © ANTARA 2023
Pontianak (ANTARA) – Hidayat, the Head of the Limnology and Water Resources Research Center (LSDA) at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said that to mitigate land and forest fires in the West Kalimantan area, PT Smart Cakrawala Aviation has successfully conducted land moistening through Weather Modification Technology (WMT).
“Currently, WMT is one of the weather modification research initiatives at the LSDA-BRIN Research Center. WMT is an effective tool in increasing lake water and water table height, as well as land moistening to prevent forest fires. In this operation, BRIN supervises and aides Smart Aviation through the lead engineering experts in the field of WMT from BRIN,” Hidayat stated after commencing the WMT operation at the Supadio Air Force Base in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Tuesday.
Hidayat said that in anticipation of the dry season in 2023, which was predicted to be drier due to the impact of El Niño, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will mitigate forest and land fires by conducting peatland moistening through utilizing potential cloud in the West Kalimantan region.
According to Hidayat, PT Smart Cakrawala Aviation, as a private WMT operator, is entrusted to conduct the WMT operation through an instruction letter number B-253/KA/BNPB/PD.01.04/05/2023, issued by the Head of BNPB, dated May 19, 2023.
“WMT operation is conducted in the context of Emergency Preparedness for Smoke Disasters due to Forest and Land Fires in West Kalimantan Province in 2023. The WMT flight operations commenced on Wednesday (24/5) for the next 15 days, precisely until Wednesday (7/6), with flights departed from the command post stationed at the Supadio Air Force base in Pontianak, West Kalimantan," stated Hidayat.
Meanwhile, Abetnego Panca Putra Tarigan, Deputy Chief of Staff for Human Development of the Presidential Executive Office (KSP), stated that the losses from the 2019 forest and land fires disaster reached Rp. 75 trillion, as per the data based from BNPB. Therefore, efforts in mitigating forest and land fires become highly important.
“As Presidential Staff, we fully support forest and land fires mitigation in line with the President’s directive, who always emphasize the importance of preventive measures against forest and land fires,” said Abetnego.
In addition, First Marshall Prasetiya Halim, the Commander of Supadio Air Force Base, stated that he is ready to fully support all WMT operation activities in West Kalimantan.
Tono Sumarsono, the Head of Sub-Directorate for Logistics and Equipment Direction Support of BNPB, said that handling forest fire disasters remains a top priority for BNPB. In addition to onsite firefighting, mitigation efforts through land moistening via WMT are also deemed crucial.
“This WMT operation is scheduled for the next 15 days, considering the potential of existing clouds before entering the dry season.” said Tono.
Samsul Bahri, the lead engineering expert in weather modification at BRIN, who aided during the implementation of WMT operations by Smart Aviation, revealed that the impact in West Kalimantan is starting to show. It can be seen from hotspots that are decreasing, fire susceptibility conditions that are gradually moving towards safety, and the increasing water table in peatland areas.
“Hopefully until the last day, we can continue cloud seeding on potential rain clouds so that forest and land fires can be avoided in the West Kalimantan region.” said Samsul.
Reporter: Slamet Ardiansyah
Editor: Evi Ratnawati
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2023
