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View all search resultsGovt’s defiance over wildfire disaster status faces scrutiny
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is still mulling over the technical assistance on offer from Singapore and Malaysia to put out the fires, with cooperation to be focused on closing gaps from existing efforts.
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Motorists drive on Saturday through the haze-shrouded Jl. Tjilik Riwut in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Toxic pollution from the forest and peatland fires has obscured sunlight and dropped visibility to 100 meters in Palangka Raya, according to the local Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) office. (Antara/Auliya Rahman)
T
he government is standing firm in refusing to declare the raging forest and peatland fires a national disaster, asserting that it has launched extensive efforts to contain the blazes and curb the haze despite critics questioning the claim.
Indonesia has been dealing with months of wildfires reportedly caused by deliberate slash-and-burn practices for agricultural purposes and is exacerbated by a prolonged El Niño-induced drought.
At least 1.9 million hectares of land burned in nine months since January, according to figures from forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas.
Throughout the week of Oct. 19, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded more than 21,400 ha of land burned in six worst-hit provinces, namely Central, West and South Kalimantan as well as South Sumatra, Jambi and Riau. Fires were also detected engulfing around 2,000 ha of land across Java, Sulawesi and Papua.
To tackle the impact, Indonesia has deployed “massive and integrated efforts” in the worst-hit regions, said Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Sugiono at a press briefing on Thursday, asserting that President Prabowo Subianto had instructed his administration to “do everything possible”.
The efforts included joint firefighting, water bombing and weather modification operations involving 71,000 personnel from the BNPB, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police and local volunteers.
The government has also allocated Rp 1.24 trillion (US$68.5 million) for firefighting equipment as well as disbursements of masks, health services and other facilities for people suffering respiratory infections from the toxic haze.
