Govt forest fire aid prioritizes residents' health: Minister

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s 1.235 trillion rupiah (US$68.46 million) aid package for forest and land fire handling will prioritize affected residents’ health, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Sugiono said on Thursday.

"Today, the second phase of central government aid was transferred. The total aid from the central government amounts to Rp1.235 trillion, which the president emphasized must prioritize protecting affected communities, including healthcare services," he said.

The aid is also prioritized for distributing masks, portable oxygen and recovery facilities, including oxygen shelters, as well as treating residents suffering from acute respiratory infections.

Sugiono said, in line with the president’s directives, fire management must be scaled up and carried out faster through integrated measures, not just by waiting for rain but also through other concrete steps to mitigate the situation.

"The central government is continuously working to tackle the forest and land fires and their impact on communities, particularly in the worst-hit regions," Sugiono said.

The first phase of government aid was delivered on Sept 7 to six priority provinces - South Sumatra, Jambi, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Riau - and 35 affected districts and cities, he said.

The next priority is firefighting and suppression, including expanding equipment supplies such as protective gear, water pumps, storage tanks, hoses, peatland water injectors and deep wells, and funding for field operations and team deployments.

"The central government aid will also prioritize logistical support for personnel involved in these firefighting efforts," he said.

Sugiono said he hoped the aid would speed up emergency response operations and provide maximum relief to affected communities.

"Around 71,000 personnel are currently deployed to manage the situation through various ground and aerial operations," he added.

In addition to ground-based firefighting, aerial operations such as water bombing and dry ice seeding have also produced effective results over the past week, he noted.

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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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