Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodohas ordered government officials to find a permanent solution to prevent annualforest fires that cause serious consequences.
He made the request at a meeting with cabinet ministers andheads of agencies in charge of extinguishing fires, adding that 99 percent offorest fires were started by humans.
Widodo also ordered more frequent patrols on the ground by securitypersonnel across the country, especially in fire-prone areas such as Riau,Jambi, North Sumatra, and South Sumatra provinces.
Indonesia last year suffered the worst forest blazes in fouryears when 1.6 million ha of its forests and peat lands were burned. The WorldBank estimated that the total economic losses from the fires amounted to 5.2billion USD.
Indonesian farmers often use fire to clear land during thedry season, but they can rage out of control and produce a choking haze. Palmoil cultivation is often blamed for land clearance in places like Sumatra andBorneo islands./.
He made the request at a meeting with cabinet ministers andheads of agencies in charge of extinguishing fires, adding that 99 percent offorest fires were started by humans.
Widodo also ordered more frequent patrols on the ground by securitypersonnel across the country, especially in fire-prone areas such as Riau,Jambi, North Sumatra, and South Sumatra provinces.
Indonesia last year suffered the worst forest blazes in fouryears when 1.6 million ha of its forests and peat lands were burned. The WorldBank estimated that the total economic losses from the fires amounted to 5.2billion USD.
Indonesian farmers often use fire to clear land during thedry season, but they can rage out of control and produce a choking haze. Palmoil cultivation is often blamed for land clearance in places like Sumatra andBorneo islands./.
VNA
