TEMPO.CO, Malili, Luwu - Andi Makkaraka, head of the East Luwu Forestry and Plantation Agency, said that 12 hectares of forest in East Luwu was razed by fire triggered by land clearing activities.
“The firefighting team from PT Vale and the city administration has been deployed to the site. We will try to prevent the fire from spreading,” Andi said on Sunday, September 6.
Andi added that the fire in a part of the forest had been extinguished, while the rest was still prone to forest fire. The Forestry Agency set up Fire Outposts for the agency and the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency to coordinate and conduct patrols searching for hot spots.
“The outposts will help us to monitor the forest and ensure that no more hot spots left in the forest,” Andi explained.
Haze resulted from the fire had caused health problems among local residents, particularly those living at Puncak Indah village, Malili District. Malili Community Health Center head Benny said that there were 720 people suffering respiratory infections, increasing by 30 percent compared to the previous month.
“The increasing number of patients suffering respiratory infections was caused by hot weather and haze. People living near the fire location are called on to wear masks outside their homes and drink a lot of watter,” Benny said.
HASWADI
