Antara 14 Aug 19;
Bintan, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - The Bintan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that wildfires have ravaged some 1,500 hectares of land in the Riau Islands Province over the past eight months, and 90 percent of them were caused by slash-and-burn practices.
"Some 90 percent of the wildfires ravaging Bintan District's areas are related to humans activities," Head of Gunung Kijang, Teluk Bintan, and Toapaya Subdistricts' Fire Department, Nurwendi, said here on Wednesday.
The land and forest fires that occurred from January to August were mainly triggered by the acts of irresponsible people who conducted slash-and-burn land clearing practices to open new farmlands, Nurwendi said.
The Bintan District Police have warned local residents to put an end to this unlawful method of clearing the land but many of them still ignore warnings. The police recently arrested two residents, he said.
Apart from law enforcement efforts, wildfires continued to engulf certain areas of Toapaya Selatan Subdistrict on Monday and Tuesday, he said.
Amid this year's dry season, the land and forest fires hit several provinces in the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Several residents of Pontianak, the capital city of West Kalimantan Province, had even been left with no choice but to inhale the thick smoke rising from the wildfire on Tuesday morning.
Tomi, a resident of the Parit Mayor neighborhood area, admitted to breathing in the thick haze with its strong smell, while heading to a mosque to perform Subuh, or the dawn prayer.
Several residents, too, expressed concern over the impact of this thick smog on their health and outdoor activities.
The haze, lofting through the areas of Pontianak, had also reduced visibility to some 150 and 200 meters, he stated, adding that some of his friends were suffering from respiratory infections owing to the smog, caused by the burning of forest and peatland areas.
The thick haze has been blanketing the areas of Pontianak and several other parts of West Kalimantan over these past few weeks as a result of wildfires in the peatland areas, as well as slash and burn activities. Related news: All-out efforts to extinguish wildfires on Sumatra, Kalimantan Islands
Reporter: Ogen, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
148 hotspots detected in West Kalimantan
Antara 14 Aug 19;
Pontianak, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Supadio meteorology, climatology, and geophysics office has reported a total of 148 hotspots detected in several districts in West Kalimantan Province.
Some 56 hotspots were found in Ketapang; 37 in Kubu Raya; 19 in Sanggau; 12 in Kapuas Hulu; nine in Landak; four each in Bengkayang, Mempawah, and North Kayong; as well as one each in Sintang and Melawi, Erika Mardiyanti, head of the Supadio meteorology office, remarked here on Wednesday.
Mardiyanti has forecast that West Kalimantan would receive heavy rains, lightening, and strong winds next week.
"At present, rains have begun to fall in parts of cities and districts in West Kalimantan, such as Kapuas Hulu, Bengkayang, Landak, Sambas, Pontianak, and Kubu Raya. Next week, rains, with moderate to high intensity, will fall in wider areas," he stated.
A whirlwind hit Sungai Ambawang, Kubu Raya District, on Tuesday at 3:29 p.m. local time, and damaged 60 homes and 11 homeshops.
In the meantime, fires swept through five to 10 hectares of peatland in West Kalimantan Province during the dry spell this year, the Pontianak City Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) stated.
"The area of each of the burned peatland was so small that the military, police, and BPBD personnel, with assistance from private fighters, could extinguish the blaze quickly," BPBD Head Saptiko stated in Pontianak on Tuesday.
To handle land and forest fires in the province, the BPBD has cooperated with the military and police in conducting joint routine patrols in fire-prone land and forest areas.
"We also intensify prevention efforts by routinely informing the public of the danger and impact of land and forest fires, so they will no longer set fire to land or others," he stated.
The BPBD Office noted that four hotspots, indicating land and forest fires, were detected in Pontianak comprising one in North Pontianak, two in South Pontianak, and one in Southeast Pontianak.
On Monday, August 12, 2019, the Pontianak city administration sealed four plots of burned land on Sepakat Street 2, Southeast Pontianak Sub-district.
The city government sealed the land by putting up a notice board that read, "This land is under the surveillance of the Pontianak city government. It violates Regional Regulation No. 55 of 2018 concerning land and forest fires."
Related news: LAPAN confirms identification of 608 hotspots across Indonesia
Related news: West Kalimantan governor summons 94 companies over land, forest fires
Reporter: Andilala, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
382 hotspots detected in West Kalimantan
Antara 15 Aug 19;
Pontianak, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The number of hotspots indicating forest fires in West Kalimantan Province jumped to 382 on Thursday morning from 148 on the previous day, according to the Supadio Pontianak meteorology office.
Of the total hotspots, 115 were found in Sanggau district, 58 in Kapuas Hulu District, 54 in Ketapang, 28 in Landak, 25 in Melawi, 18 in Mempawah, 10 in Bengkayang, nine in Sambas, eight in Kubu Raya, three in Sekadau, and two in North Kayong, said Erika Mardiyanti, the head of he Supadio meteorology, climatology, and geophysics office, here on Thursday.
Earlier, the Pontianak City Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) had stated that fires swept through five to 10 hectares of peatland in West Kalimantan during the dry spell this year.
"The area of peatland burned was so small that the military, police, and BPBD personnel, with assistance from private fighters, managed to extinguish the blaze quickly," BPBD Head Saptiko said in Pontianak on Aug 13, 2019.
To handle land and forest fires in the province, the BPBD is conducting joint routine patrols in fire-prone land and forest areas with the military and police.
“We have also intensified prevention efforts by routinely informing the public of the danger and impact of land and forest fires, so they will no longer set fire to land or elsewhere,” he stated.
On Monday, August 12, 2019, the Pontianak city administration sealed four plots of burned land on Sepakat Street 2, Southeast Pontianak Sub-district.
The city government put up a notice board on the sealed land, stating: “This land is under the surveillance of the Pontianak city government. It violates Regional Regulation No. 55/2018 concerning land and forest fires.”
Thick smoke from land and forest fires had forced the Pontianak city education and culture office to close kindergartens and elementary schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, learning activities at junior high schools are being conducted from 9 a.m. local time.
West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji, at a coordination meeting to discuss control of land and forest fires on Monday, summoned 94 plantation companies and timber estates believed to have set fire to land in their respective concession areas.
"The 94 companies comprise 56 plantation companies and 38 timber estates. We summoned them as hotspots were found around their concessions,” he said.
The meeting was held in response to rampant land and forest fires in several districts in the province.
Related news: West Kalimantan governor summons 94 companies over land, forest fires
Reporter: Andilala, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Haze forces Garuda Indonesia plane to abort landing in Jambi
Jon Afrizal The Jakarta Post 16 Aug 19;
The plane operated by national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia was forced to return to Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, as visibility at the airport had decreased to 800 meters, said Radiyan Prabowo, the assistant manager terminal and landslide services at Sultan Thaha Airport.
Garuda flight TA7114 was scheduled to land at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, he said.
““The visibility was not in line with the operating standards of Garuda Indonesia […] but the three other flights landed,” Radiyan said on Friday.
Radiyan said visibility in the airport returned to normal after 10:00 a.m. “Flights have since been operating as usual.”
The visibility considered safe for landings should be around 1,500 to 2,000 meters, he said, adding that airlines flying to Jambi city should remain vigilant about haze.
Jambi city and nearby areas have been engulfed by thick haze from forest fires in the province over the past three days.
Haze usually occurs in the morning and eases briefly before returning in the afternoon until the evening, causing a drastic drop in visibility from 5,000 meters to only 800 meters, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Sultan Thaha.
Visibility was worse in areas affected by peatland fires, including in Muarojambi, Tanjungjabung Barat and Tanjungjabung Timur regencies, where visibility has decreased to under 500 meters.
“We have to be extra careful when driving before 10:00 a.m.,” said Muslim, a Jambi city resident and a truck driver who usually transports goods across the regencies.
The local administration has yet to issue warnings over the haze and the disruption of visibility, however, residents of the city have started wearing masks to protect their respiratory systems.
Meanwhile, Jambi Police have named nine people suspects for starting forest and land fires in regencies across the province, police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Kuswahyudi Tresnadi said. (afr)
