- Title: INDONESIA-HAZE Indonesia fights forest fires
- Date: 11th October 2015
- Summary: PALEMBANG, SOUTH SUMATRA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (OCTOBER 11, 2015) (REUTERS) HELICOPTER OF INDONESIA'S NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT ON RUNWAY GPS ON HELICOPTER CONTROL PANEL PILOT SITTING IN HELICOPTER VARIOUS OF AERIALS OF SMOKE RISING FROM FORESTS SMOKE SOUTH SUMATRA GOVERNOR ALEX NOERDIN WALKING TO MEETING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) GOVERNOR OF SOUTH SUMATRA PROVI
- Embargoed: 26th October 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Indonesia
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6GGJK97TRB9520MZ1AORBHM7L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesia continued to fight forest fires on Sunday (October 11) that has cause a choking smoke to drift across parts of the region.
South Sumatra province is one of the worst affected areas, with 613 out of 726 total hotspots on the island in western Indonesia, latest data from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) showed on Sunday morning.
Slash-and-burn agriculture has blanketed Singapore, Malaysia and northern Indonesia in a "haze" for weeks, pushing up pollution levels and disrupting flights, as it does every year. Indonesian efforts to halt the seasonal clearances have failed.
Indonesia routinely brushes off complaints while vowing to act to stop the burning. However, year after year, the problem flares in the dry season. It has been exacerbated this year by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has brought unusually dry conditions.
Governor of South Sumatra province, Alex Noerdin explained the challenges local authorities were facing.
"Fire embers are buried seven meters under the peatland making it very difficult for us to put out the fires," Noerdin said.
Noerdin added the way forwarded was to waterbomb the areas in question.
"So what is our last resort? Water bombing. In the past we used aircraft from Russia which can scoop up to 15 litres of water and pour it over the land, scoop up the water again and pour it. Maybe the fires can be put out in that way," he said.
Indonesia sought help from other nations earlier this week. Aircrafts from Singapore and Malaysia have started their operation on Sumatra island while Australia is expected to send in a military aircraft early next week.
Indonesia had repeatedly declined offers of outside help to tackle the smoke, which is mostly caused by companies using fire to clear land for palm oil and pulp wood plantations on Sumatra island and its part of Borneo island. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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