Fire damage estimates reach Rp 7.5 trillion
Fire damage estimates reach Rp 7.5 trillion
JAKARTA (JP): Fires raging in East Kalimantan forests have
cost Rp 7.5 trillion (US$938 million) in lost timber revenues,
not including the cost of damage to biodiversity, the decline in
tourist visits and health costs, a local government official said
yesterday.
East Kalimantan Deputy Governor Suwarna Abdul Fatah said his
administration's latest estimate of the forest area ravaged by
uncontrollable fires over the last three months was close to
400,000 hectares.
"The vast area burning, the presence of at least 39 permanent
hot spots, and the continuing drought have made the fires hard to
control," Suwarna said in Samarinda, as quoted by Antara.
Should the drought index, which currently stands at 2,000 --
500 the normal level -- continue to rise, fires could break out
in exposed coal seams, he said.
Suwarna said the province had become vulnerable to fires
because of high temperatures.
"A lighted cigarette end carelessly dropped could threaten
thousands hectares of forest," he said.
Suwarna said permanent hot spots were caused by fires in
underground coal deposits which could easily ignite flammable
material, including vegetation, on the surface.
According to Suwarna, the permanent hot spots were scattered
around the 61,000-hectare Bukit Soeharto forest reserve and the
200,000-hectare Kutai National Park, both of which have suffered
devastating damage over the last three months.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported from Geneva that United Nations
officials and fire-fighting experts met behind closed doors
yesterday to discuss ways of ending Indonesia's forest fires.
Klaus Topfer, executive director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) which is chairing the two-day
meeting, said that fire fighting experts would draw up
recommendations for a donor's meeting today.
Separately, a business delegation from Canadian Bombadier
Aerospace told The Jakarta Post yesterday that it was offering
the Indonesian government 10 water bombing CL-215 amphibious
aircraft for US$75 million.
"It's a specially designed fire fighting aircraft," Tom
Appleton, the company president, said of the 10-year-old
aircraft. If purchased new, each plane would cost US$25 million.
The state-owned Canadian Export Development Corporation was
offering the Indonesian government negotiable long-term credit to
purchase the aircraft, Julie Insley, a trade commissioner from
the Canadian embassy, said. (aan)