Jambi prepares for forest fires

Jambi prepares for forest fires

JAMBI: The Jambi provincial government is taking steps to anticipate forest fires through tighter observation of natural preserves and protected forest areas, as the island of Sumatra nears the start of the dry season.

The appearance of haze in the morning had signaled the end of the rainy season in Jambi, said Agus Priambudi, who heads Jambi's nature conservation office and coordinates a team handling forest fires and bushfires.

"For Sumatra, the long dry season usually starts between March and April, so we have begun all kinds of preparations, especially in regards our people in the field and our firefighting equipment," he said.

Agus said that seven regencies in Jambi were most prone to forest fires, as they had vast protected forest areas.

Provinces like Jambi and Riau are prone to forest and bush fires every year, as locals generally practice the slash-and-burn method of clearing crop land. Forest fires also occur as a result of natural causes.

The haze and smoke produced by such fires have posed health problems for local cities, as well as neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. -- Antara