September Seen as Peak of Forest Fires, OMC Expanded in 6 Provinces
Japan is preparing three helicopters for water bombing as rain is not expected to arrive until early October.
The government is expanding weather modification operations and aerial firefighting ahead of September, which is expected to be the peak of forest and land fires in Indonesia. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said OMC will be intensified in six priority provinces: Riau, Jambi, Sumatera Selatan, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Tengah, and Kalimantan Selatan, as long as there are clouds that can be seeded. Water bombing and ground teams are also being deployed, with more than 1.000 additional BKO personnel. Japan is also preparing three helicopters to support the operation. In Kalimantan Barat, hotspots were reported to have jumped to 7.377 points, while visibility in several areas of Kalimantan fell to less than 1 kilometer. Raja Juli said the chance of rain is only seen in early October, making September the most critical period.
Sources
Earlier in this story
- 2 hours agoKalimantan Tengah hot spots rise to 4,359, 7,634 hectares burned
- 6 hours agoKLH seals 19 companies tied to 11.046 hectares of fires
- 6 hours agoSeptember Seen as Peak of Forest Fires, OMC Expanded in 6 Provincesreading now
- 12 hours agoOrangutan weakened by wildfire smoke evacuated in Ketapang
- 16 hours agoForest and land fires in Kalimantan damage orangutan habitat in Ketapang
- 24 hours agoWest Kalimantan hotspots jump to 7,377, visibility drops below 1 km
- 24 hours agoSarawak air quality hits 475 as Indonesia smoke chokes Malaysia
- 33 hours agoKarhutla in Ketapang Weakens Orangutan, BKSDA Evacuates It
- Aug 30Pneumonia cases in Pontianak rise 10-20% as haze thickens
- Aug 29Pontianak sees 300 ARI cases a day, oxygen rooms opened
- Aug 29Smoke from forest fires makes Jambi air unhealthy, fires persist