More hot spots detected in Kalimantan
More hot spots detected in Kalimantan
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo
said satellite imagery from the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration had revealed 895 hot spots in East
Kalimantan yesterday.
Last Tuesday 200 hot spots were detected. By Friday this
number had risen to 618, Djamaludin said here yesterday.
The minister accused 17 companies of starting fires but
declined to reveal their names.
"I can't name the alleged culprits for the time being. I will
announce them only after I receive confirmation from the
companies and match satellite images with my timber and
plantation maps. I don't want the government to charge the wrong
firms," he said.
Sources in the ministry said one of the companies accused is
state-owned timber company PT Inhutani I.
Djamaludin said a water bomber sent by the Australian
government has been unable to help extinguish the fires in the
province due to technical problems.
"The recent fires are different from last year's. The recent
forest fires are sporadic and cover thousands of small areas," he
said.
He said the government had attempted to send fire fighters to
combat the flames, however difficult terrain severely hampered
these efforts. The National Agency for Disaster Management will
dispatch small planes and helicopters to help control the fires.
Djamaludin said he had instructed timber companies and
plantation firms operating in the affected areas to deploy their
own fire fighting teams, which he estimated to number 253,
containing over 1,400 personnel.
Fires have razed through the Bukit Soeharto forest reserve
and along the Bontang-Sangatta highway, and have burned 1,400
hectares of Kutai National Park. Fresh fires are now raging along
the Balikpapan-Samarinda highway area.
Djamaludin said that efforts to control the fires would
concentrate on Kutai National Park, a habitat for many rare
species.
Meanwhile, Antara, reporting from the East Kalimantan capital
of Samarinda, said that haze from fires has blanketed areas along
the Mahakam River and hindered river transportation in the
hinterland. Thick smoke has reduced visibility to about 500
meters.
In Bongan subdistrict, Kutai, the haze covered the Mahakam
River and vast oil palm plantations belonging to PT London
Sumatra.
"Boat operators were unwilling to go fast because they fear a
collision," a speedboat driver, Mansyur, told the news agency in
the town of Bangun.
Local residents said the fire might have been started by
nomadic farmers who practice slash-and-burn farming techniques.
Since the middle of January, East Kalimantan has been on alert
because of the prolonged dry season. (gis/pan)