TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Terra and Aqua satellites of NASA have detected a total of 365 hotspots across Sumatra Island on Wednesday morning, a drastic increase from 92 recorded on the previous day.
Some 278 hotspots were found in Riau Province, Slamet Riyadi, spokesman of the Pekanbaru meteorology office, stated here, Wednesday, quoting data released by Indonesias National Institute of Aeronautics and Space.
As many as 42 hotspots were detected in North Sumatra, 27 in Bangka Belitung, seven in South Sumatra, five in Jambi, four in West Sumatra, and two in Riau Islands.
In Riau Province, 278 hotspots were detected in 10 districts and cities, including 123 hotspots in Rokan Hilir, 36 in the Meranti Island District, 28 in Siak, 22 in Bengkalis, and 20 in Dumai.
Of the 278 hotspots, 192 were confirmed to have originated from forest, peatland, and plantation fires.
Chief of the Wirabima 031 Sub-regional Military Command Brigadier General Nurendi said he has deployed some 100 military personnel to help extinguish the wildfires in Rokan Hilir.
In the meantime, hotspots indicating forest, peatland and plantation fires have been detected in several provinces in Indonesia lately.
Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan have declared an emergency alert status in anticipation of land and forest fires, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
"The other provinces prone to land and forest fires are South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan and North Sumatra, but they have not declared an emergency status alert," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, BNPB spokesman, stated.
"The other provinces prone to land and forest fires are South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan and North Sumatra, but they have not declared an emergency status alert," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, BNPB spokesman, said.
Following the declaration of such an alert, the BNPB will lend assistance to regional disaster mitigation offices in the five provinces in addressing land and forest fires, he stated.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) recently led a cabinet meeting on forest fires, and passed orders for immediate action to prevent forest fires from spreading and become uncontrollable.
ANTARA
