Application foaming agent following peat fire at Rimba Panjang Village, District Kampar, Riau

Abstract

Extinguishing peat fires with water is less effective and efficient because the process of decreasing the temperature of the fuel does not occur immediately. There is a new extinguishing method by using a foaming agent from palm oil. This study was carried out on the burnt peatland area in Rimba Panjang Village, Riau. There are four spots that have the potential to reburn. The extinguishing process is carried out with a foaming agent in three plots, and one plot using water. The method using a foaming agent is done by extinguishing the fire using a fire extinguisher containing a mixture of NF 46 0.5 100 L m² solution. Furthermore, direct fire suppression was carried out on the plot and observed until the fire was completely extinguished. This study showed that extinguishing using a foaming agent for three months did not damage the ecosystem and had no negative impact on plant growth. IVI calculation shows that there are three dominant species in each observation plot, namely mackerel (Stenochlaena palustris) with an IVI of 89.40%, ferns (Pteris Sp.) with an IVI of 20.10%, and alang-alang (Imperata cylindrica) with an IVI of 30.85%. The results of the analysis show that the species diversity index (H') is 1.206, the species evenness index (E) is 0.524, and the species richness index (R) is 1.967. Extinguishing using a foaming agent can speed up the extinguishing process (3 to 4.6 minutes) compared to using water (50 minutes).