Brasília, March 18, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, said yesterday (17) that the federal government's efforts in Roraima operate on two fronts. The first is to combat the forest fires in the best possible manner, with all the techniques and infrastructure that are available. Next, the federal government should begin a project to bring about a profound change in the region's development model. This includes discouraging the use of fire to clear land for cultivation. "We are working on an emergency basis, but we need to make Roraima reach another plateau for its economic development and for the settlements. It is inconceivable that each year we have to spend more to put out fires than we produce," she said.

The first signs of fire in Roraima began to be detected more than 30 days ago, and the fires grew more intense through the action of El Niño. The temperatures are extremely elevated, and the relative humidity of the air is very low. Ibama informed that there are nearly 700 focal points. Some of them were registered within Indian territorities. (DAS)