Jakarta, Sept. 15 -- The Ministry of Public Works has dispatched fire suppression equipment to five provinces on Kalimantan Island to speed up emergency response and meet water supply needs in affected areas.

"While circumstances vary, our priority is to respond quickly to needs in the field. I have instructed all teams to stay alert and take action, especially to maintain basic public services," Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The Directorate General of Water Resources is distributing the equipment through the ministry's River Basin Organizations in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and North Kalimantan. The supplies were shipped by sea from Tanjung Pr...