"According to monitoring data provided by the Terra-Aqua Satellites, 537 hotspots were found in South Sumatra. Meanwhile, 97 hotspots were detected in Jambi, 64 in Bangka Belitung, 38 in Lampung, and only seven in Bengkulu," Indra Purnama, the chief of the Data and Information Department of the Kenten Climatology Station, stated here on Friday.
He explained that the hotspots had spread to five different areas in South Sumatra. In this transition period, from drought to monsoon, several hotspots had not been earlier forecast, but there is a trend that they might increase, he claimed.
"Hotspots that arose in South Sumatra and some neighboring provinces triggered land and forest fires. So, this is far from over for the teams tasked with putting out the fires," he noted.
Chief of Indonesias National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei had earlier stated that an Australian aircraft will be deployed to extinguish fires in the Air Sugihan area, Ogan Komering Ilir District, South Sumatra Province.
"This is being done as the area still has several hotspots," he said after evaluating the efforts to extinguish land and forest fires in Palembang, yesterday (October 15).
Hence, a C-130 Hercules aircraft, with a capacity to carry 15 thousand liters of water, will be used to extinguish fires in the region. By maximizing its use, Rampangilei hoped the smog would soon disappear.
A Malaysian aircraft, with a capacity to carry six thousand liters of water, will be deployed in other areas, such as Cengal, Ogan Komering Ilir District, he noted.
"Besides using aircraft, we are also maximizing the use of a helicopter to extinguish the fires," he affirmed.
The rotary-wing aircraft is also being used to extinguish the remnant fires in Ogan Komering Ilir District, he remarked.
According to Rampangilei, they will also continue to deploy a ground team to put out the fires.
"It is obvious that we will continue with our efforts to extinguish the fires until the smog vanishes," he remarked.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
