Indonesia battles surge in forest fires as West Kalimantan hotspots nearly double

 

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire by spraying water and creating boundary trenches to prevent the flames from spreading in the Tumbang Nusa area of Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan, on Aug 30. PIC BY AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia is battling a sharp surge in forest and land fires in parts of Kalimantan, with hotspots in West Kalimantan nearly doubling to 7,377 on Monday.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) acting head of the Data, Information and Disaster Communication Centre Berton Panjaitan said the number of hotspots in West Kalimantan surged by 3,553 to 7,377, while fire spots rose by 88 to 104 and visibility fell to below one kilometre.

"In Central Kalimantan, hotspots declined by 147 to 5,244, but fire spots increased by 16 to 72, while in South Kalimantan, hotspots fell by 405 to 504, but fire spots rose by 33 to 55," he told an online press conference on Monday.

In Sumatra, Berton said hotspots in South Sumatra increased by 209 to 1,013, while they declined significantly in Riau and Jambi. The number of fire spots also decreased across the three provinces.

The fires are also taking a growing toll on public health, with nearly 5.5 million people living in affected areas across Sumatra and Kalimantan, Deputy Health Minister Prof Dante Saksono Harbuwono said.

He said about 13,500 acute respiratory infection (ISPA) cases were recorded cumulatively in July and August, with 4,082 people still suffering from ISPA as of Sunday.

"The health impact from the smoke this year is greater than last year," Dante said, adding that health authorities continued to monitor the situation and coordinate with local health offices.

Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry has flagged 42 companies for possible action over forest and land fires detected within their concession areas.

Environmental Law Enforcement deputy Rizal Irawan said the companies were identified by overlaying satellite hotspot data with concession maps, with 19 now undergoing field verification and the remainder to be inspected in a second stage.

"Regardless of whether it was deliberately burned or caught fire, when a fire occurs within a concession, strict liability applies.

"The company will be held accountable, either through administrative or civil sanctions," he told an online press conference.

Rizal said Indonesia was also coordinating with neighbouring countries over transboundary haze through Asean mechanisms, following a meeting of environment officials in Bali last month attended by ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

On prevention efforts, Rizal said 95 Fire Care Community groups comprising 1,425 personnel had been established across six fire-prone provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with another 35 groups planned this year.

He said notices were also sent to 2,226 companies last year requiring them to prepare personnel and facilities to prevent and respond to forest and land fires.

About 80 per cent had since reported their readiness, while the remainder had yet to respond. - NST