Batam (Antara Bali) - The Singaporean government has offered assistance to the Indonesian government to put out peatland and plantation fires across Sumatra.
Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan conveyed the assistance to Indonesia, Simon of the Indonesian embassy's information department, told Antara on Thursday.
The details of the assistance, however, were not known yet. The Indonesian government welcomed any assistance to control the fires, he added.
The Indonesian government has been trying to extinguish the fires which have sent smog haze not only to Singapore but also to Indonesian cities such as Batam and Kampar.
"It has become our common concern, not only Singapore. The Indonesian government will not stay idle," the diplomat said.
Of 850 hectares of peatland and plantation areas that were burned, around 460 hectares have been put out, he said.
The CEO of Singapore's National Environment Agency was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting with officials from the Indonesian environmental and foreign affairs ministries to discuss about the haze problem.
"They might discuss about the details of assistance being offered by Singapore," he said. (*/DWA)
