LA PAZ, Aug 25 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — The Environmental Emergency Cabinet of Bolivia foresees this Saturday the execution of at least three flights of the Supertanker plane, as part of the strategy to put out the forest fires that affect the region of Chiquitania.
The aircraft, with a capacity to store 150,000 liters of water and a crew of 14 specialized people, began operations last Thursday and, as part of the intensive operation, including six special helicopters to extinguish fires and five tankers.
By land there are 1,300 troops of the Armed Forces, 540 police and 260 firefighters.
The Minister of the Presidency, Juan Ramon Quintana, reported that the cabinet evaluated last night the work done by air and land so far and scheduled for this Saturday other actions.
‘A plan of operations of the tanker plane has been demarcated for its second incursion again in Taperas, in the same place to practically close this fire, we hope to control it in this second operation, then we have two hot spots near Taperas where the 747 will also intervene,’ he said.
The planned itinerary will have ground support in the regions of Robore, Chochis, Quitunuquiña, Tucabaca, San Juan del Mutun and Yacuses, as well as patrols in the section Robore El Carmen.
Quintana expressed optimism for the operative development of the Supertanker and ‘people have celebrated it, they are very happy, they feel safer because there is a work instrument that has a significant impact such as this plane’.
On the other hand, President Evo Morales highlighted the day before in his Twitter account the first flight of this aircraft, as well as the work of the emergency teams formed by the Armed Forces, the Police, firefighters, among others.
‘As we planned, #Supertanker reinforced the effectiveness of the heroic work of our pilots, uniforms and volunteers who fight tirelessly against fire in the Chiquitanía,’ Morales wrote on Twitter.
Official reports confirmed the fires so far left a balance of 774,711 hectares affected in 35 communities in 11 municipalities of that region, eight families affected who lost their homes and 1,817 people affected by the fire. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
