JAKARTA: Forest and land fires are still raging in Bintan regency, Riau Islands, as the regency administration declares an emergency, while in neighboUring Riau province, Dumai city and Pelalawan regency are still fighting to extinguish fires.
Bintan declared a forest fire emergency response on Wednesday (March 25) for the next 14 days as fires continue to consume the remaining trees and grass along the Tanjung Pinang-Tanjung Uban highway in Berakit village.
While the blaze is already contained, the land is scorched and blackened with smoke seen to be rising. Bintan Regent Roby Kurniawan said the decision to declare an emergency was taken after a significant spike in the number of forest and land fires.
The prolonged dry season has exacerbated the situation, triggering a drought in various areas.
“The emergency status was declared because of increased forest and land fires and drought in almost all of Bintan territory," he said while presiding over a meeting at his office on Wednesday.
The regency administration recorded 317 individual fires from January until March with a total area of 251 hectares.
Of the 10 districts in Bintan, four have the majority of the fires, East Bintan has 81 fires, followed by Toapaya with 68, Gunung Kijang with 64 and North Bintan with 60.
In Berakit village, workers from a telecommunication firm were seen replacing burned fiber optic cable around a tower on a scorched piece of land. Google Map is also issuing a warning for motorists using the highway, saying the highway may be impacted by the forest fires in the area. Suhardi, a resident living near the fire location said the land was usually covered in twigs and dead, dry grass, which were easily flammable during the dry season.
“The fire started a week ago, now the embers remain,” he said. The fire is a threat to Berakit village, a tourism village with several resorts along the highway, especially in the East Coast Tourism Area.
The area is connected to the upscale Lagoi Integrated Tourism Area, at 35 kilometers and Tanjungpinang city at of 27 km. The area is popular with both domestic visitors and foreign tourists looking to enjoy white sandy beaches facing the South China Sea during weekends and in holiday seasons, such as Idul Fitri.
In addition to declaring the emergency, Roby also told all agencies to strengthen prevention measures and increase patrols in vulnerable areas. He also called on residents to take an active role by immediately reporting if they discover anyone engaging in burning activities. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
