INDONESIA: BUSH FIRES BURN THOUSANDS OF HECTARES OF JUNGLE

English/Nat The Indonesian government plans to deploy 10 water bombing aircraft to Borneo island to help extinguish wildfires that are burning out of control. Two are already operating in drought-stricken East Kalimantan province since the fires began in January, but with little success. The fires have burned thousands of hectares of jungle and farmland, aided by a continued drought and lack of resources. They can start in any place at anytime. Within minutes a small brush fire can turn into an unstoppable blaze that destroys all crops and forest in its path. With no warning and no equipment other than bare hands and buckets, villagers can do little but try to move what is flammable out of the way as the flames race closer to their homes. East Kalimantan's fire brigade is poorly equipped for the massive task but they do what they can. Their 25 year old pumping engines are working around the clock and are effect when they reach the fire. But most fires are too far from the road for them to reach and go unchecked. The Indonesian government estimates that as much as 129,271 hectares (319,542 acres) of forest and secondary forest have been blackened since these latest fires began in January this year. The smoke produced by the blazes has covered the landscape. Last year, fires across the archipelago produced smoke that threatened the health of millions over much of Southeast Asia. Several thousand people on Borneo have already sought medical treatment for respiratory tract infections. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We consider this forest fire hazard is really very serious. And we consider that this is becoming the regular disaster every year. SUPER CAPTION: Aca Sugandhy, Assistant Minister of the Environment Driving conditions have become very dangerous - the government admits its efforts are not doing much to ease the problem. SOUNDBITE:(English) "Due to our capacity either at national or local level, our efforts is not so successful so far." SUPER CAPTION: Aca Sugandhy, Assistant Minister of the Environment Indonesia authorities have also tried unsuccessfully to seed clouds with salt crystals to induce rain. About 1,000 paid volunteers and military personnel are fighting the fires near the cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) northeast of Jakarta. The government estimates that about 127,000 hectares of (315,775 acres) have been blackened. Smaller fires have also been reported on the island of Sumatra. Officials have blamed forestry and plantation companies as well as farmers for starting fires to clear land cheaply. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/dc2847ab79e8970788803abae910bb5b Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork