TEMPO.CO, Palembang - The Kenten Climatology Station in Palembang recorded a total of 467 hotspots in Sumatera. A total of 52 hotspots had been found in South Ogan Komering Ulu regency; in addition to 26 found in Central part of the regency and 24 in Eastern part of the regency.
Indra Purnama said on Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015, that the highest number of hotspots was detected in Ogan Komering Ilir with 270 hotspots. Meanwhile, the number of fire spots in Musi Banyuasin had decreased to 14.
Anung Riyanto, the head of infrastructures and facilities at the South Sumatera Plantation Agency, said that forest fires had occurred in forest areas and in Industrial Forest Plantations (HTI). Anung ensured that fires in plantation areas were relatively lower compared to those occurred in forest areas and in industrial forest plantations. Based on the data, Anung denied a recently-released data saying that forest fires had expanded to plantation areas.
“Basically, lands that are usually razed by fires are neglected and unproductive,”
PARLIZA HENDRAWAN