JAKARTA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has disbursed a second tranche of 1.235 trillion rupiah (about 68 million U.S. dollars) in central government aid to combat forest and land fires, with priority given to health services for affected residents, a senior minister said Thursday.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Sugiono said the funds would be used to distribute face masks and portable oxygen supplies, establish recovery facilities and provide treatment for people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
The aid will 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 authorities to accelerate and coordinate their response to the fires.
About 71,000 personnel have 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 neighboring countries. ■