REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALEMBANG -- An Australian aircraft has reportedly concluded its designated period to assist in putting out land and forest fires in the South Sumatra area.

"The Australian aircraft, after completing its period to provide assistance to put out the fires in the forest and land areas in South Sumatra, is now headed back to its country," Willem Rampangilei, the head of the National Agency for Disaster Management, remarked here, Monday.

A Malaysian aircraft too completed its assistance period, which leaves the Singaporean aircraft, which is still helping to extinguish the fires in South Sumatra's forest and land areas.

Currently, the disaster management agency is still taking efforts to fight the ongoing forest fires.

Wawan said the agency is continuing its efforts to extinguish the hotspots that still continue to rise in the area.

To this end, the agency is also utilizing Japanese aid in the form of liquid substance that helps to put out fires to improve its firefighting efforts.

The efforts to extinguish forest and land fires are still focused on the Ogan Ilir District, South Sumatra, as there are several hotspots in the region, Wawan stated.

According to Wawan, the eastern coastal areas --- Air Sugihan, Cengal, and Tulung Selapan --- were the main focus of the firefighting efforts since a large number of hotspots were detected there.

Besides air operations, the agency is also optimizing its firefighting efforts on land to immediately reduce the haze.

"Indeed, several obstacles must be encountered in putting out land and forest fires due to their distant locations, and the burnt areas are peatlands," he added.

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