Nine Provinces Prone To Forest Fires

Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - Indonesia has nine provinces, which are prone to forest fires due to several factors, including drought, noted Arief Yuwono, deputy III of the Ministry of Environment. "Data have been collected on the nine provinces. The provinces have to take preventive measures in order to act immediately if forest fire occurs," Arief stated here on Tuesday. The nine provinces are North and South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau, as well as West, East, Central, South, and North Kalimantan. The major forest fires occurred in Riau Province last year, and this year the major fires are expected to occur in South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan, he said. "In Riau Province, forest fires in 2013 had raged across 20 thousand hectares, and losses incurred by the state reached Rp10 trillion. Ecological features sustained heavy damage," he added.