Pekanbaru, Riau, Oct 9 (Antarariau.com) - The Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said on Friday that 1.7 million hectares of forests and land has been burnt in the fires so far.
"Fires have burnt around 1.7 million hectares in Sumatra and Kalimantan," she said while accompanying President Joko Widodo during an inspection of firefighting efforts in the village of Rimbo Panjang in the district of Kampar in the Sumatra province of Riau.
President Widodo admitted that the impact of the fires had been immense, especially on public health.
He also said all policyholders from the central to the local level, as well as the military (TNI) and the police, had worked hard to fight the fires.
"We have indeed been optimal in our efforts, soldiers, fire fighters, the National Agency for Disaster Mitigation (BNPB) officials, Manggala Agni fire brigades, but we must also understand the contribution of the El Nino weather phenomenon to the problem. Imagine it affecting 1.7 million hectares, which is wider than Riau," he stated.
He also said efforts to prevent the fires in the future must be the main focus, including anticipatory measures in the form of development of canals and water reservoirs.
He further stated that the development of canals and water reservoirs had already started in Central Kalimantan and Riau.
Especially in Riau, water pools have been created in the former fire areas in the village of Rimbo Panjang, involving three units of heavy equipment and personnel from the army¿s strategic reserve command (Kostrad), Manggala Agni and Satpol PP (order officers).
The pool in Rimbo Panjang village can accommodate 800 to 1,000 cubic feet of water.
The President said, "Peat land fire is the most difficult to fight because it continues to burn below the surface, even though it might seem it has been put out. So, partitioned canals and water reservoirs are the best system (to prevent fires)."
He said the handling of fires in Riau has been relatively good because only two fires have recently been detected and have been put out.
"So there is no problem in Riau. What I want to see is what the impact is like," he said.
Indonesia Fires Have Burnt 1.7 Million Hectares Of Forests, Land
