JAKARTA, Oct 22 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Indonesia has disbursed a second tranche of 1.235 trillion rupiah (about US$68 million) in central government aid to combat forest and land fires, with priority given to healthcare services for affected residents, a senior minister said on Thursday, reported Xinhua.
Human Development and Culture Coordinating Minister Sugiono said the funds would be used to distribute face masks and portable oxygen supplies, establish recovery facilities and treat people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
The aid would also finance firefighting equipment, including protective gear, water pumps, hoses and peatland water injectors, as well as personnel deployment and logistical support, Sugiono said.
He added that President Prabowo Subianto had instructed the authorities to accelerate and coordinate their response to the fires.
About 71,000 personnel had been deployed to combat the blazes, supported by aerial water-bombing and cloud-seeding operations using dry ice, he said.
Forest and land fires, often linked to land clearing and exacerbated by dry weather, have caused widespread haze across parts of Indonesia and neighbouring countries.
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA