The majority of the fires are in very familiar geographic areas....... Saturday October 18 3:43 AM EDT
Indonesia sees long drought as U.S. help arrives
By Jim Della-Giacoma
JAKARTA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - An Indonesian minister warned on Saturday that drought aggravating bush fires across the country could last into December, well
past the normal start of monsoon rains.
''Previously it had been forecast that the dry season could last until the end of October, but the meteorological and geophysics agency has warned it could last
longer,'' Coordinating Minister for Welfare Azwar Anas said.
''In fact, yesterday I received a report that maybe this heat or the El Nino will last longer. Maybe only in December will there be rain,'' Anas told reporters at an
arrival ceremony for three U.S. C-130 planes to help fight the fires.
Indonesia has blamed the prolonged dry season across the archipelago, which sprawls for 5,000 km (3,000 miles) along the equator, for aggravating bush fires that
have sent a health-threatening smog over large areas of Southeast Asia.
The El Nino phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean has affected global weather patterns, bringing drought to some areas.
The latest satellite data available from the Indonesian Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bappedal) on Saturday showed at least 42 hotspots mostly on
Sumatra and Kalimantan late on Friday afternoon.
Four regional airports remained closed because of the smoke, with visibility at Tjilik Riwut airport in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, and Sultan Taha in Jambi on
Sumatra island down to only 100 metres (yards).
Three U.S. Hercules C-130 aircraft and 60 personnel from the Wyoming Air National Guard arrived in Jakarta on Saturday as part of the Washington's
humanitarian assistance to help deal with the regional disaster.
Two of the aircraft, equipped with the Mobile Aerial Fire Fighting System (MAFFS), can carry up to 12,000 litres (3,000 gallons) of water to help extinguish fires
during the unit's planned 60-day stay in Indonesia.
Indonesian officials said the aircraft will leave for their first mission to the Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan on Sunday and will be used on fires in
Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java.
''We feel that the cooperative experience gained from working with the Indonesians will make them more effective firefighters and will also be helpful in limiting the
damage caused by the fires,'' U.S. ambassador Stapleton Roy told reporters.
''This is a natural disaster on a global scale. It is affecting not only major parts of Indonesia, but also major parts of Southeast Asia,'' said Roy, speaking at the
Halim Perdana Kusuma airbase.
''Its contribution to environmental pollution is a matter of serious concern to many countries in this area and throughout the world,'' he added.
The Americans arrived as crews from the South Australian Country Fire Service (SACFS) operating two Air Tractor water bombers began a rotation after two
weeks of fighting fires in Bandar Lampung on the southern tip of Sumatra island.
SACFS operations coordinator Brenton Eden told Reuters to date the two small aircraft had made 215 ''bombing'' runs, dropping some 560 tonnes of fire
suppressant.
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