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Plantation areas, forests burn in Jambi
Eight hundred hectares of plantation areas and forests in East Tanjungjabung in Jambi province have been destroyed by fire since January due to extreme weather, an official said on Thursday
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ight hundred hectares of plantationareas and forests in East Tanjungjabung in Jambi province have been destroyed byfire since January due to extreme weather, an official said on Thursday.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said it was likely that the prolonged dry season would last at least until June, leaving the areas vulnerable to more fires.
Adil P. Aritonang, head of the East Tanjungjabung Forestry Agency, said hot spots were present in almost every district in the regency due to the presence of large swathes of peatland and vegetation that was easily ignited.
He said the possibility of fires had forced the local administration to put the fire brigade on alert and to propose to Regent Zumi Zola that additional heavy equipment be purchased.
'We plan to buy a mini-excavator that can be transported on the back of a truck and is capable of building firebreaks in order to prevent fires spreading. Other equipment are two fire-pump engines and 75-meter hoses. An additional 30 firefighters will also need to be hired,' he said.
Besides the weather and environmental conditions, Adil said other aspects, such as social, legal and economic issues, had contributed to the fires.
'We have established coordination teams in every district and raised public awareness about cooperating with us in fire prevention efforts,' he added. (gda/dic)
