REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALEMBANG -- The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will deploy an MI-171 helicopter for a water bombing mission in Jambi on Tuesday due to the increased forest and bush fires in the province, the agency's official said.

"As a result, there is only one more MI-171 chopper that is on standby in South Sumatra," the Head of South Sumatra's Forestry Office for Handling Forest and Bush Fires, Ahmad Taufik, said on Monday.

The BNPB needs to send the Russian made-helicopter to Jambi to put out fires in numerous hotspots in the neighboring province of South Sumatra, he stated.

This decision, would however, place South Sumatra in a difficult position, considering the fact that it has 1.4 million hectares of peat land, he added.

"Ideally, three MI-171 helicopters should be on standby in South Sumatra to support the water bombing mission because creating artificial rain is relatively difficult considering the availability of cumulus cloud," Taufik said.

He pointed out that 387 hotspots had been detected in certain parts of South Sumatra Province, such as in the areas of Ogan Komering Ilir and Musi Banyuasin Districts.

The two districts have over 30 hotspots respectively; he said, adding that South Sumatra's condition was different from Jambi and other smog-blanketed provinces in Kalimantan Island.

"There is a blanket of haze over Jambi and certain provinces in Kalimantan Island. The clump of smog does not cover South Sumatra, owing to the immediate efforts made to extinguish the forest and bush fires. Therefore, if the sun rises, local residents can go about their daily routine activities normally," he said.

Residents of South Sumatra, especially those suffering from respiratory ailments, have been warned and asked to wear masks to protect them from the thick smog in the morning if they take part in outdoor activities, he said.

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