Jakarta (VNA) – A state of emergency over land and forest fires was declared in Central Kalimantan province of Indonesia on June 30, following the finding of over 700 hotspots and wildfires in some local areas.
Governor Sugianto Sabran said people of Central Kalimantan are dealing with many challenges, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, fires, and floods.
Meanwhile, acting head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency Darliansyah said the emergency status will last until September 28 so as to develop synergies in an effort to prevent the disaster.
The World Bank estimated that total damage and economic loss from forest fires in Indonesia from June to October 2019 surpassed 5 billion USD, equal to 0.5 percent of the country’s GDP.
Over 900,000 people reported respiratory illnesses, 12 national airports halted operations, and hundreds of schools in Indonesia and nearby Malaysia and Singapore had to temporarily close due to forest fires in the archipelago nation.
More than 942,000 hectares of forests and lands in the country were burned last year, the biggest since devastating fires in 2015 destroyed 2.6 million hectares./.
Governor Sugianto Sabran said people of Central Kalimantan are dealing with many challenges, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, fires, and floods.
Meanwhile, acting head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency Darliansyah said the emergency status will last until September 28 so as to develop synergies in an effort to prevent the disaster.
The World Bank estimated that total damage and economic loss from forest fires in Indonesia from June to October 2019 surpassed 5 billion USD, equal to 0.5 percent of the country’s GDP.
Over 900,000 people reported respiratory illnesses, 12 national airports halted operations, and hundreds of schools in Indonesia and nearby Malaysia and Singapore had to temporarily close due to forest fires in the archipelago nation.
More than 942,000 hectares of forests and lands in the country were burned last year, the biggest since devastating fires in 2015 destroyed 2.6 million hectares./.
VNA
