(ATR) Government officials are scrambling to contain forest fires on the island of Sumatra ahead of 2018 Asian Games events in Palembang.
Palembang is one of two host cities for the Games, along with the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Palembang is located in South Sumatra, about an hour and a half flight from Jakarta on West Java.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto told reporters that officials are working to contain fires during the dry season. The first event in Palembang is scheduled for August 16.
"We need to work hard to ensure that South Sumatra will be haze-free," Wiranto said according to reports in the Jakarta Post. "Weather forecasts say that the peak of the dry season will happen during the Asian Games."
Palembang will host 12 sports during the Olympics and prepared for the Games by completing a light rail system from the airport to the athletes village.
Reports from the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency by the Jakarta Post said there are currently 47 hot spots in the region where Palembang is located. Government officials have been reportedly regularly seeding clouds since May to try and prevent rainfall during the Games period.
Free Bus Rides
Volunteers and reporters will receive free bus passes for the Transjakarta bus network during the Asian Games.
The Jakarta Post reported that organizers will hand out 18,000 passes, with 13,000 going to volunteers during the Games.
The Transjakarta will be free for commuters on weekends and holidays during the Asian Games period, Governor Anies Baswedan said.
"This is the Jakarta administration’s contribution in supporting the Asian Games through Transjakarta," Baswedan was quoted as saying.
National Monument Dressed Up
Jakarta’s National Monument will be home to a light show to drum up interest for the 2018 Asian Games.
The monument is located in Central Jakarta and commemorates Indonesia’s struggle for independence from the colonial Dutch.
Rully, the coordinator of the designers of the project, told news agency Kompas that the show took four months to put together and will be 25 minutes long when complete.
The show will start on Aug. 17 and run nightly until Sept. 2 the final day of the 2018 Asian Games. It will feature video from the 1962 Asian Games, the last time Indonesia hosted.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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