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)