Based on the monitoring of Terra an AQUA Satellites, there were 165 hotspots spread in the 15 sub districts during that period, according to Ian Septiawan of the Kotawaringin Timur Nature Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) here on Thursday.
Most of the hotspots came from forest and land fires and produced haze covering Sampit city.
The fires were difficult to extinguish because the locations wer far from roads and difficult to reach, he said.
He predicted the number of hotspots in Kotawaringin Timur to increase significantly if rains did not fall or the government did not deal with the fires seriously.
Septiawan earlier had urged local farmers not open new farm land by burning bushes because the practice could get out of control and cause forest fires.
He also asked oilpalm plantation managers to remain alert toward possible forest fires which could spread to human resettlement.
Johan Wahyudi, the head of the Kotawaringin Timur national unity, political, and public protection office, said his office and the Sampit Red Cross (PMI) would distribute face masks to pedestrians and motorists to prevent them from having respiratory problems due to haze.
"There are 9,000 face masks that we will distribute free of charge to the public," he said.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will use cloud-seeding to put out forest fires in four provinces, according to a minister.
"Now the National Agency of Disaster Mitigation (BNPB) is working to tackle hotspots by using cloud-seeding," Environmental Affairs Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said in Jakarta recently after opening a coordinating meeting on "Towards Green Indonesia".
(Uu.F001/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
