- Title: INDONESIA-HAZE/FIRES Indonesia continues efforts to put out forest fires
- Date: 15th September 2015
- Summary: PALEMBANG, SOUTH SUMATRA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (SEPTEMBER 15, 2015) (REUTERS) HELICOPTER ON TARMAC AERIAL OF HELIPORT AS HELICOPTER FLIES OFF CAPTAIN IN COCKPIT AERIAL OF SHADOW OF HELICOPTER CARRYING WATER VARIOUS AERIALS OF FOREST FIRES OFFICIAL FROM INDONESIA'S NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY (BNPB) LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS SHIRT READING "BNPB" AERIAL OF FOREST FIRE COMMANDER OF OPERATION IN PALEMBANG INFANTRI TRI WINARNO SITTING AND TALKING TO OTHER OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) COMMANDER OF OPERATION IN PALEMBANG, INFANTRI TRI WINARNO, SAYING: "The difficulty is there's a shortage of water and it was hazy. We're doing as we did in Muara Kuang, using water bombs from the air and trying to put out the fire on the ground. But the problem is that the fire re-ignites. We will continue using water bombs." VARIOUS OF OFFICIAL LOOKING AT FOREST FIRE FROM HELICOPTER AERIAL OF WATER BOMBING IN PROGRESS VARIOUS AERIALS OF FOREST FIRES
- Embargoed: 30th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Indonesia
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6CZ0LUC6QX87GZ97H1CMYF5S3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesia struggled to put out raging land-clearing forest fires on Tuesday (September 15) as worsening haze forced some schools to close and airlines to delay flights in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Local authorities have been using water bombing in an attempt to tame the fires in South Sumatra province, one of the areas which sees forest fires recur annually.
Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, but governments in the region have failed to address the problem.
The fires have been exacerbated this year by the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as a prolonged dry season in Indonesia has parched the top soil, fuelling the flames.
The Commander of Operation in Palembang described the difficulties authorities have been facing, as they face both a water shortage and fires frequently reigniting.
"The difficulty is there's a shortage of water and it was hazy. We're doing as we did in Muara Kuang, using water bombs from the air and trying to put out the fire on the ground. But the problem is that the fire re-ignites. We will continue using water bombs," said Infantri Tri Winarno.
Winarno said there are still 375 hotspots in the province as of Tuesday, but that this is half of the 700 hotspots alive last week.
Nearly 3,000 military and police personnel, 17 helicopters and four cloud-seeding aircraft have been deployed to fight the fires, according to the country's disaster management agency.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who was on an official visit to the Middle East, said he had instructed security forces to accelerate efforts to extinguish the fires and revoke land permits from companies found responsible.
Indonesia has struggled for years to contain forest fires and the resulting haze despite repeatedly promising to punish perpetrators. Police have named over 100 people as suspects in slash-and-burn cases in Kalimantan and Sumatra, according to local media.
Indonesian Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar last week said authorities were investigating 10 firms, which could face sanctions if found to have violated the law. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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