People of Pontianak city, West Kalimantan, wear masks to protect them from haze caused by land fires on Friday (4/8).
JAMBI, KOMPAS — Forest and bush fires in some parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan have easily spread because a lack of rain and water-depleted peatland.
The Jambi Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the threat of fire is becoming more serious because peatland is drying up. In Muaro Jambi and East Tanjung Jabung districts, for example, there has been no rain for the past 21 days.
"The water-depleted peatland is flammable," Nurangesti, the head of Jambi BMKG, said on Friday. In Bungo district, South Sumatra, fires have occurred even in bushes along the road in Sepunggur village, Babeko subdistrict, since last Wednesday. Fire is spreading into peatland in Sadu, East Tanjung Jabung. Two Bell and Kamov helicopters are being used to extinguish a fire in East Tanjung Jabung.
In the Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau, fire is raging in Dusun Air Hitam, Ukui subdistrict, Pelalawan district. The fire had been extinguished by a joint team from the military (TNI), the police and Manggala Agni fire brigade a few days ago, but it broke out again not long after.
"Our job is just to put out the fire. Alleged forest encroachers and fire starters have been reported to the Law Enforcement Task Force, "said the head of the disaster prevention agency in the Pelalawan area, Hadi Penandio, said Friday.
Investigated by police
The police are investigating owners of 14 areas covering 222 hectares in West Aceh, Aceh, which were hit by fire between July 18 and July 30. So far, they are considered witnesses. However, the police have promised to investigate the case thoroughly.
The head of the public relations division of the Aceh Police, Comr. Gunawan, said on Friday that the owners of the burned areas in West Aceh had been summoned by the police.
"We are handling the case. We may later involve an expert to see whether the fires were intentionally started or hot weather caused them," said Gunawan.
In West Kalimantan, on Friday forest fires continued to rage and could not be stopped even though preparations to deal with forest fires were made long ago. In fact, helicopters have been used to drop water bombs.
The regional coordinator of the Manggala Agni fire brigade in West Kalimantan, Sahat Irawan Manik, said the forest and land areas hit by fire in West Kalimantan reached 236.07 hectares between January and June. About 70 percent of the total area comprises peatland.
"Fires occurred in several locations, including Ketapang (45 hectares), Pontianak (56.5 hectares), Singkawang (105.5 hectares), Sintang area (4.8 hectares) and Kapuas Hulu (23.9 hectares). Almost all areas contain peatland," Sahat said.
In South Kalimantan, fires began to break out in various areas. South Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Wahyudin, when contacted from Banjarmasin, said forest fires were burning in the districts of Banjar, Tanah Laut, Tapin and South Hulu Sungai. Fire can be found in a limited area but can be overcome by the task force.
Meanwhile, in Central Kalimantan during the past week, at least 24 hot spots have been identified. An official of Palangkaraya BMKG, Chandra Mukti Wijaya, has forecast rain in some parts of the province within the next three days.
