‘Not as easy as one might imagine’: Poor visibility, wild animals hamper firefighting in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Efforts to fight forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan are “not as easy as we might imagine”, regional military commander Major-General Zainul Arifin said on Monday (Oct 12), citing swampy terrain, poor visibility and the presence of wild animals.

His remarks were made during a meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto, according to a transcript published on the Indonesian presidential website.

Zainul and Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto, who goes by one name, outlined the challenges facing efforts to tackle fires nationwide.

Prabowo called for particular attention to Tanjung Puting in Central Kalimantan, now the worst affected of the six priority provinces after a new fire was detected in Tanjung Puting National Park, according to Suharyanto. 

The six priority provinces identified by the Indonesian government are Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Riau. 

“Tanjung Puting National Park requires particular attention because it is a national park,” Prabowo said.

More than 500 hectares of the national park have been affected by the fire, while firefighting efforts have been hampered by “extremely poor visibility”, which had dropped to about 500m. 

The authorities said water-bombing helicopters in Central Kalimantan had been unable to fly for more than a week while weather modification operations and commercial flights had also been affected. 

Reporting on the conditions on the ground in Tanjung Puting, Zainul told Prabowo at the meeting that the fires were scattered across swampy areas that are difficult for vehicles to access. 

“There are not only orangutans in the area. There are many dangerous wild animals, including crocodiles, snakes and others … Entering the area requires particular attention and caution,” said Zainul. 

He added that a team comprising the military, local disaster management agency, regional government and the police has been formed to ensure the safety of personnel entering the affected areas.

Zainul also flagged a shortage of water pumps needed for firefighting operations, which Prabowo agreed to provide. 

“How many water pumps do you need? Fifty? I will send 200,” Prabowo said. 

Zainul, the regional military commander, also sought assistance in drilling wells, saying that the swampy terrain meant that water could not be obtained at depths of around 10 to 15 metres. 

Prabowo then pledged 2 billion rupiah (US$111,800) to build 200 boreholes in the area.

At the same meeting, Suharyanto, the BNPB chief, said that a total of 639.23 hectares remained on fire across the six priority provinces as of Monday. 

The widespread land and forest fires have caused transboundary haze in the region, with schools closed in parts of Malaysia.