Kuta, Bali (Antara Bali) -- The National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB) has provided ten helicopters, which will be used to help extinguish forest and land fires in a number of regions in Indonesia, an official stated.
"We have conducted water bombing by allocating 10 helicopters, six of them have been operational," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Tuesday.
According to him, of the six helicopters, two had been used in Riau, two in South Kalimantan, one in West Kalimantan and the rest in Central Kalimantan.
In addition, in a bid to overcome forest and land fires in the midst of the prolonged drought, BNPB had also conducted cloud seeding in a number of areas among other things, in Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.
Nugroho further said that two Air Force Hercules aircraft, one CN-295 aircraft and two Cassa 212 aircraft were used to conduct the cloud seeding.
The government had allocated Rp385 billion to overcome forest and land fires cases until September this year.
But if forest and land fires continue to break out between October and December 2015, BNPB would need more funds, Nugroho pointed out.
In the meantime, forest fires have been reported in parts of the Sumatra Island, particularly Riau Province and Kalimantan Island.
Riau security authorities had named 24 suspects in forest and land fires in the province between January and July 2015. (WDY)
BNPB Provides 10 Helicopters To Overcome Forest Fires
Pewarta : Reported by Dewa Wiguna 19 Agustus 2015 06:41 WIB
