REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has sent a helicopter in anticipation of forest fires in the West Kalimantan Province, stated BNPB's Head of Data Information Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwon Nugroho.
"Syamsul Maarif, the BNPB head has ordered to send a MI-8 helicopter from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, to Pontianak, West Kalimtan, which will be used to drop water bombs," Sutopo noted in an electronic message to Antara here on Wednesday.
The BNPB took immediate steps after it received information that forest fires were increasing in two provinces of Riau in Sumatra and West Kalimantan in Kalimantan.
Sutopo remarked that during the current Idul Fitri holidays, the number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan have not reduced.
The Terra and Aqua satellites on Tuesday (July 29), detected 143 hotspots in Riau and 268 others in West Kalimantan.
In West Kalimantan, 15 hotspots were detected in Bengkayang, 25 in Kapuas Hulu, 7 in Kayong Utara, 19 in Ketapang, and 15 in Kubu Raya.
Eight hotspots were respectively detected in Landa and Melawi, while 19 hotspots were detected in Pontianak, 65 in Sambas, 33 in Snggau, 5 in Sekadau, 2 in Singkawang and 47 in Sintang.
In the meantime, in Riau, 46 hotspots were found in the district of Rokan Hilir, 24 in Bengkalis, 35 in Dumai, 6 in Indragiri Hilir, 3 in Indragiri Hulu, 2 in Kampar, 7 in Kuantan Singingi, and 10 in Pelalawan.
"Visibility was affected in Dumai and Pelalawan because of the haze," Sutopo added.
The efforts to put out the fires by the air task force are in tandem with the endeavors made by hundreds of personnel of the land-based task force.
The land-based task force is reinforced with 100 military personnel from the Army, 100 from the Air Force, and 500 from the National Police.
Besides that, hundreds of personnel from the Forestry Ministry, Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), and volunteers are taking part in putting out the fires.
"However, individuals and groups of people still continue to burn bushes and forest areas, and thus the number of hotspots also continue to increase," he remarked.
Sutopo noted that after the Lebaran holidays, the personnel grouped in the task force belonging to the police and Forestry Ministry's office have resumed work to extinguish the hotspots.
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