Antara 19 Sep 18;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) had until early this month detected over three thousand hotspots across the country, a ministry`s official stated.
Chief infrastructure official of the KLHK Ministry`s Climate Change Control Directorate General Agus Hariyanto informed reporters here on Wednesday that until September 3, 2018, his office had detected 3,032 hotspots.
The number of hotspots until Sept. 3 was higher than about one thousand in 2017. Yet, it is far lower than 15 thousand hotspots recorded in 2015.
He pointed out that several regions in Indonesia continue to face drought until November 2018
This is based on the forecast of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency that a relatively weak El Nino phenomenon is approaching Indonesia.
"We have to remain on alert regarding land and forest fires," he added.
An integrated patrol team continues to be on the field, especially in the forestry-prone areas. In 2018, he noted that the team had exceeded the target of visiting 1,200 villages.
He stated that the president`s directive on the control of forest and land fires is usually issued early in the year as a precautionary measure against hotspots.
To detect the hotspots, the KLHK is using the National Aeronautics and Space Institute (Lapan) Fire Hotspot application, with accuracy rates of above 80 percent. This is then followed up on the field.
Meanwhile, the Terra and Aqua satellites had detected a total of 801 hotspots, indicating forest and plantation fires, across Indonesia, on Monday (Sept 17).
The hotspots were of moderate- and high-risk categories, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, noted in a statement.
In West Kalimantan Province, 272 hotspots were detected.
"Of the 272 hotspots, 149 are categorized as moderate and 123 as high risk," he stated.
Haze shrouded Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan Province, from dawn until 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday and later disappeared due to the wind.
Earlier, Ins. Gen. Didi Haryono, the West Kalimantan police chief, urged local inhabitants to help put out wildfires, as the efforts could not be made by the military and police personnel alone.
Banjarmasin, the provincial capital of South Kalimantan, and North Barito in Central Kalimantan were also shrouded by haze on Monday morning.
The ongoing prolonged drought has caused water shortage in several regions, such as in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Java, and triggered fires in forest areas, particularly in West Kalimantan and Central Java.
In West Kalimantan, schools were recently closed, as forest fires produced smoke that could affect the health of students.
The national disaster mitigation office deployed four helicopters to help extinguish the fires.
Reporting by Virna P Setyorini
Editing by Andi Abdussalam, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Wildfires raze part of Mount Ciremai and Mount Slamet forest areas
Antara 19 Sep 18;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Wildfires have razed parts of the forest areas on Mount Ciremai, located in Kuningan, West Java Province, and Mount Slamet, located in Pemalang, Central Java, since Tuesday.
Some 100 hectares of forest area on Mount Ciremai was gutted by fire, Agus Yudantara, spokesman of the Mount Ciremai National Park, said here on Wednesday.
The wildfire, razing bushes and grasses, was triggered by the current prolonged drought, he added.
A joint team, comprising military and police personnel, local fire fighters, and volunteers, was deployed to extinguish the blaze.
On Mount Slamet, fire razed a pine forest area belonging to the state-owned forestry company Perhutani, according to Captain Sarmin of the Pemalang military district.
Local authorities and volunteers had tried to put out the fire since Tuesday evening, but due to difficult terrain, the fire was still unable to be extinguished.
The ongoing severe dry season has triggered wildfires on several mountains on Java Island.
Among the affected mountains are Mount Sindoro in Central Java, Mount Lawu in the border of the provinces of Central and East Java, Mount Argopuro in East Java, Mount Sumbing in Central Java, and Mount Sadran in East Java.
Reporting by Khaerul Izan and Sumarwoto
Editing by Fardah
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
