Pekanbaru, Aug 23 (Antarariau.com) - A forest fire task force has sent four units of aircraft to drop water bombs to prevent fires from ravaging more areas in Riau.
Two units of MI-8 helicopter and two other units of Air Tractor aircraft were sent to fly over five regencies raining various locations with tons of water in the province on Monday.
"Today two MI-8 helicopters flew to Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis each to drop water bombs in the two districts," Task Force member First Lieutenant Sherif Yanuardi said here.
In Rokan Hilir the target of water bombing was Labuhan Tangga and in Bengkalis the bombs would be dropped mainly in Tasik Serai.
Big fires were seen in the two areas last weekend burning up and destroying hundreds of hectares of forests and peat lands before the fire fighters were able to put them out.
Each of the helicopters that could carry 4 tons of water, repeated the bombing to ensure that there would be no more hot spot that could flare up again into big flames.
The two units of Air Tractor (AT) aircraft that could carry 3 tons of water each were sent to Rokan Hulu, Rokan Hilir, Pelalawan and Meranti. They also carried out water bombing twice each in those areas.
In Bengkalis, water bombing involved a Super Puma helicopter from a paper factory in the regency of Siak.
"Now no more flames left after teams of firefighters were involved from the air and over land," police said on Tuesday.
In the past two weeks fires have ravaged Rokan Hilir, Dumai, Bengkalis, Pelalawan and Rokan Hulu destroying hundreds of hectares of forest and peat lands.
Commander of the Riau Fire Task Force Brig.Gen. Nurendi said in the past two weeks 600 hectares of forest and peat lands caught fires.
Most of the lands are owned by farmers, the general said.
Forest fires have also been reported West Kalimantan sending thick black smokes to the air including in the provincial city of Pontianak.
The local people were worried that what happened last year would repeat itself again in that region.
Head of the Regional Disaster Control Agency (BPBD) TTA Nyarong said there were already fires detected in a number of locations in the province.
Forest and bush fires in Riau and West Kalimantan have always caused problem almost every year causing inconvenience not only in the two regions but in neighboring countries like Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia.
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