TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Terra Aqua satellite of NASA detected 151 hotspots in Indonesia on Monday, March 13, 2016 at 05.00 Indonesian Western Time.
NASA captured 76 hotspots in East Kalimantan, 45 in Riau, 11 in Aceh, 7 in North Kalimantan, 2 in Central Sulawesi, 2 in Gorontalo, 2 in South Sulawesi, 1 in South Sumatra, 1 in North Sumatra, 1 in North Maluku, and 1 in East Java.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) observed that forest and land fire in Riau and East Kalimantan has been occurred over the past three months. The number of hotspot is unstable; however, East Kalimantan has been covered with more hotspots than in other regions in Indonesia in total.
"There is an anomaly since previously the forest and land fire in East Kalimantan was relatively minor," said information data center and public relation head of BNPB Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in written statement in Jakarta on Monday, March 13, 2016.
Dry season in Riau is at its first period until April. But it is expected that it will not be as dry as second period in July-September. The problem is the decreasing water reserve that has hampered the officer to extinguish fire.
The forest and land fire occurred due to people’s negligence and intentional burning. The burning is alleged done deliberately to clear the land. The fire locations are at people’s land, company’s plantation, and forest.
Government have held coordination meeting to cope with the fire. Riau regional government has set forest and land fire-Emergency Standby Status since March 7, 2016 until the next three months. As many as six districts in Riau have also set forest and land fire-Emergency Standby Status, namely Meranti, Bengkalis, Dumai Rokan Hilir, Siak, and Pelalawan districts.
MAWARDAH NUR HANIFIYANI
