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Police chiefs to be removed for failure to handle forest fires: Minister
As of July 31, 135,000 hectares, mostly peatland, were burning.
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Firefighters battle a blaze on peatland in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra on Aug. 10. The dry season has worsened fires in recent weeks. (AFP/Abdul Qodir)
T
he government is ramping up efforts to prevent and douse forest and land fires amid close scrutiny from neighboring countries as the Indonesia is expecting the dry season to peak within the next two months.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Wiranto said after leading a coordination meeting on forest and land fires on Wednesday that the country had seen an increase in hot spots this month compared to the same period last year, which was partly attributed to the weak El Niño that led to a prolonged dry season spell across the country.
"President [Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo] has told local administrations not to solely rely on the central government. Regional leaders should take more active roles. We've warned that regional police chiefs who aren't able to handle [forest and land fires] will be removed from their positions," he said.
The Terra and Aqua satellites detected 2,070 hot spots between January and July this year, up 54.71 percent from the 1,338 recorded over the same period last year.
