adminJAKARTA: The number of forest and land fire hotspots in Indonesia has decreased to 96 from 160 the day before, but the increase in hotspots in Central Kalimantan and ongoing fires under the surface of peatlands are still making extinguishing efforts difficult.
The Indonesian Forestry Ministry announced that the number of hotspots with a high level of detection confidence across the country had decreased by 64 as of 9pm Saturday, but Central Kalimantan recorded an increase from 12 to 15 hotspots.
Of the 96 hotspots detected nationwide, 19 were recorded in six provinces, with 15 in Central Kalimantan, three in South Sumatra and one in South Kalimantan.
“Central Kalimantan remains one of the main focus areas in efforts to control forest and land fires.
“The peat soil conditions are causing extinguishing operations to take longer because fires can continue to burn and spread below the surface of the ground even after the surface fire has been extinguished or after it rains,” the ministry said in its latest update posted on Instagram on Sunday.
The ministry also announced that Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni had inspected areas previously affected by fires in Central Kalimantan to assess the situation and ensure that monitoring and enforcement efforts continue.
A total of 61 aircraft, including helicopters, are still deployed for firefighting operations, with 24 used for aerial patrols and weather modification, while 37 helicopters are conducting extinguishing operations.
The ministry also urged residents and businesses not to engage in open burning for land clearing purposes and to immediately report any signs of smoke or fire.
— BERNAMA
