Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Australian government have launched joint aerial firefighting operations in East Kalimantan, targeting the distribution of 100,000 liters of water daily to suppress forest and land fires, officials said Monday.
The operation is supported by two Australian C-130 Hercules aircraft configured as large air tankers, each capable of carrying 15,000 liters of water per sortie, alongside a Cessna Citation lead aircraft.
“The two aircraft have a water carrying capacity of approximately 15,000 liters and support up to six sorties with a water distribution target of approximately 100,000 liters per day,” BNPB Head Kristomei Sianturi told reporters at a press conference in Jakarta.
The week-long aerial deployment, scheduled for Nov. 6–12, includes 20 specialist aviation personnel from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) to combat active blazes spanning an estimated 40 to 50 hectares.
Firefighting operations are focused across four priority regions: Samarinda City, Kutai Kartanegara District, Paser District, and East Kutai District.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Rod Brazier stated that the deployment followed discussions between Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman and Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke, highlighting bilateral disaster response cooperation that previously saw Indonesian personnel deployed to assist Australia during the 2020 bushfires.
Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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