Jepun tawar bantu padam kebakaran hutan, ISPU Kalimantan lebih 1,000

Indonesia has received aid from Japan to combat forest and land fires in Kalimantan, with the country's Air Pollution Index (ISPU) soaring above 1,000 levels. Berton Panjaitan, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency's Disaster Information, Communication and Technology unit, revealed that assistance includes three helicopters, one of which is a Chinook, set to begin operations on September 10.

Preparations are underway, focusing on operational site surveys and discussions centered around the water-bombing missions in Kalimantan. The latest Environment Ministry data shows that Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, recorded an ISPU of 1,108 by 4:55 pm on Saturday, while South Pontianak in West Kalimantan noted 1,075. Both readings are deemed dangerous.

The BNPB also reported 9,242 hotspots across West, Central, and South Kalimantan, with all three regions showing an increase. Of these, 171 sites are located in the three affected areas. Despite the worsening situation, Panjaitan noted that weather modification operations have helped generate rainfall in some affected areas of Sumatra, including parts of Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, and Lampung.

However, these operations cannot be carried out in Central and South Kalimantan due to the lack of suitable weather conditions. The BNPB currently has 52 aircraft to support fire-fighting operations, comprising 38 for water-bombing missions and 14 for aerial patrols and weather modification, with approximately 3.5 million liters of water already released in six priority areas.