Pekanbaru, Riau, (Antarariau.com)- Some 1,465 hotspots were detected across Sumatra Island on Friday morning, an increase from 1,025 hotspots on the previous day.
"Based on the monitoring by the Terra and Aqua satellites this morning, there is an increase of 440 hotspots compared to yesterday s figure. Of the 1,465 hotspots, there are 1,296 hotspots concentrated in South Sumatra," Head of the Pekanbaru meteorology office Sugarin stated here, Friday.
Some 63 hotspots were detected in Bangka Belitung Province, 48 in Jambi, 41 in Bengkulu, 41 in Lampung, and one in Bengkulu.
Riau Province, which had been free from hotspots over the past two days, has 16 hotspots comprising eight in Pelalawan, five in Indragiri Hulu, two in Indragiri Hilir, and one in Siak District.
The hotspots caused haze that reduced visibility in Rengat, Indragiri Hulu, to 100 meters, and in Pelalawan, up to 200 meters.
In the meantime, President Joko Widodo held a meeting in a forest, even as a fire raged, to discuss ways to develop canals to overcome such fires.
"We have already discussed this just now. The governor said he was not able to implement (such an idea) because the budget is not available for the district. So, I have ordered the BNPB (National Disaster Mitigation Agency) and the forestry ministry to immediately do the needful," he affirmed while visiting a forest in the village of Sakakajang in the sub-district of Jabiren, Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan, Sept. 24.
Even as soldiers and police personnel were making efforts to put out the flames, the president held a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan, Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, TNI (military) Commander General Gator Nurmantyo, National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, Head of BNPB Willem Rampangilei, Central Kalimantan provincial administration official Hadi Prabowo, and Pulang Pisang district head Edy Pratowo.
President Widodo said it was decided in the meeting that a canal would be built to overcome the fires on the 1.9 thousand hectare peatland area in Pulau Pisang.
"If the situation is as serious as this, concrete action must be taken," he emphasized.
He pointed out that peatland areas are highly prone to fires and therefore, a canal must be built to stop them.
"Just five minutes after I entered (the peatland), a fire broke out. The fires are being triggered by something burning underneath the ground. So, the key to overcome it is (constructing a) canal," he remarked.
1,465 Hotspots Detected Across Sumatra Island
