Australia to join Indonesia's wildfire waterbombing operations, disaster agency says
The seven-day mission includes a Large Air Tanker capable of dropping up to 15,000 liters of water per sortie, officials said.
- On Thursday, Australia deployed two New South Wales Rural Fire Service aircraft to East Kalimantan to assist Indonesia's wildfire waterbombing operations from November 6 to 12, National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Lieutenant General TNI Kristomei Sianturi confirmed.
- Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, scorching land across Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua, while Health Ministry data shows over 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infections in seven provinces as of November 2.
- "The support includes a Large Air Tanker capable of dropping up to 15,000 liters of water in each sortie," Australian Ambassador Roderick Bruce Brazier said, days after a Wednesday helicopter crash in Central Kalimantan killed one crew member.
- At a Thursday kickoff at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Roderick highlighted deep diplomatic ties, revealing, "Our history of helping each other goes back a long way," and referencing Indonesia's 1974 assistance during Cyclone Tracy in Darwin, Australia.
- Kristomei urged citizens to cease land burning to ensure economic stability and protect children from smoke and ARI, stating, "Let's work together so that our children can go to school properly," emphasizing ground-level suppression remains essential.
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Australia to join Indonesia's wildfire waterbombing operations, disaster agency says
Australia will join Indonesia's waterbombing operations to help put out fires that have been raging for months, a government agency said on Thursday, days after a helicopter crashed during a firefighting mission on Borneo island, killing one person and injuring several others.
Australia Assists in Extinguishing Fires in East Kalimantan, Aerial Operations Lasting 7 Days
BNPB and Australia collaborate on a major aerial operation to extinguish forest and land fires in East Kalimantan. Aircraft and personnel are ready to act. The public is urged to stop land burning.
The Australian government sent two aircraft and 20 personnel who are firefighting experts to help handle forest and land fires in East Kalimantan on November 6-12.
Indonesia has officially begun humanitarian aid operations from Australia to help combat forest and land fires (karhutla). (Photo: BNPB Doc.)
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