JAKARTA, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- September will be Indonesia’s “real battleground” in the fight against forest and land fires as El Nino reaches its peak, with the country still facing significant risks despite a decline in fire hotspots following a month of intensified firefighting efforts.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the government was using the severe 2015 El Nino as a benchmark, with this year’s phenomenon of comparable strength, although about 202,004 hectares had been burned as of July, compared with some 600,000 hectares over the same period in 2015.
“September is the peak of El Nino. Thank God the trend is declining and we must maintain it, but we must remain vigilant, extremely vigilant, because for me, September is the real battleground.
“We have not yet emerged from the El Nino threat. We are not safe at all yet,” he told a press conference streamed live on Tuesday, adding that the August burned-area figure was still being calculated, including through drone checks to ensure accuracy.
Raja Juli said five measures would remain central to the government’s efforts in September: weather modification operations (OMC), water bombing, ground firefighting, law enforcement and greater public awareness.
The government has deployed 53 air assets for patrols, OMC and water bombing, with assistance from Japan expected and Russian aircraft leased by BNPB set to be deployed to South Sumatra in the coming weeks.
On enforcement, Raja Juli said police had named 89 suspects in forest and land fire cases, while the Forestry Ministry was processing 30 criminal cases and had issued warnings to 52 forest utilisation business permit (PBPH) holders, six of whom had been subjected to severe sanctions.
He said Indonesia would continue its efforts to minimise the impact of transboundary haze on neighbouring countries.
-- BERNAMA