The need for additional water-bombing aircraft is based on the land and forest area, including peatland, burnt in the province, he said after inspecting land fires in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, on Tuesday.
To extinguish land and forest fires more effectively, the forest firefighting task force needs more water-bombing aircraft, he said.
He said peatland fires in South Sumatra have not been put out as yet.
The prolonged drought, coupled with strong winds and high drought rate, have made the spread of land fires uncontrollable, he said.
The minister said he will evaluate the need for water-bombing planes to achieve maximum results in putting out the hotspots.
He said he will report the evaluation to President Joko Widodo for consideration.
Several foreign aircraft are assisting the task force in fighting land and forest fires but these efforts were not enough to end the land and forest fires.
Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Wiliem Rampangile said earlier in the day that low visibility and limited water sources have impeded the operation of foreign airplanes to assist in land and forest fire fighting efforts in South Sumatra.
During their six days of operation, some of the foreign airplanes found it difficult to conduct water-bombing operations as visibility dropped to only 700 meters in several areas, he said.
In the land and forest fire-affected areas of Cengal and Pedamaran in Ogan Komering Ilir district, only a Malaysian plane with a capacity of carrying five thousand liters of water proved effective in reaching the scene without having to return to the base for refilling, he said.
In the meantime, a Hercules N405 LC plane from Australia which has a capacity of carrying 15 thousand liters of water, had difficulty in accessing the target site due to low visibility, he said.
He said low visibility and limited water sources are among the obstacles being faced by fire fighters in extinguishing land and forest fires in South Sumatra, currently blanketed by a thick smoke.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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