Drought may last until January, expert warns<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A German ecologist said yesterday the long-
\nawaited monsoon rain would come in January, not November as
\nforecasted by optimistic local experts.<\/p>\n
Professor Johann Georg Goldammer of the Freiburg University in
\nFreiburg, southwest Germany, called for steadfast vigilance over
\nthe worsening drought and forest fires. He said that top on the
\nagenda of the fight against forest fires and the impact of
\ndrought should be measures that ensure human safety.<\/p>\n
\"Let's be realistic, we are still facing problems with the
\nfires,\" he said yesterday at a press briefing on forest fires
\nalong with several other German forestry experts at the German
\nEmbassy here.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the reported decrease in the number of hot spots, on
\nthe whole, the fires are not yet under control,\" said Goldammer,
\na scientist at the university's Fire Ecology and Biomass Burning
\nResearch Group.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the government's Environmental Impact Management
\nAgency announced a slight increase in the number of hot spots, or
\nfires locations, detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan, from 19
\nMonday to 23 Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Goldammer cited several imminent drought-related problems such
\nas the uncontrollable spreading of wildfires and water shortage
\nin Kalimantan, Sumatra and Irian Jaya, which would subsequently
\nlead to food shortages and famine.<\/p>\n
The national Meteorology and Geophysics Agency forecasted last
\nmonth that rain would begin to fall in a different time period
\nnext month in Sumatra and Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Without specifically referring to the agency's forecast,
\nGoldammer said forecasting rain for next month was an \"optimistic
\nprediction\". He said the rain would only be \"light\".<\/p>\n
An estimated 1.7 million hectares of forest have been razed by
\nthis year's forest fires, causing a health-threatening haze and
\nan estimated Rp 6.2 trillion (US$1.7 billion) in losses,
\naccording to the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi). The
\nestimate was much higher than those given by government
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Many airports are still closed because of the smog and about
\n20 million people in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and neighboring
\ncountries are facing respiratory problems.<\/p>\n
Antara reported yesterday that a fresh fire broke out and
\nconsumed some 400 hectares of pine forest in Central Java's
\nPonorogo and Pacitan regencies.<\/p>\n
Brush fires on Central Java's Mount Telomoyo also reportedly
\nposed a serious threat to the telecommunications transmission
\nstation on the mountain's peak.<\/p>\n
Antara also reported that the forest fires on Mt. Merbabu and
\nMt. Andong in the province were still raging.<\/p>\n
The Germany Embassy announced yesterday that it had offered up
\nto DM 100,000 (Rp 201 million) in aid to the Indonesian
\ngovernment for medical supplies and other humanitarian relief
\nmeasures.<\/p>\n
It offered an additional DM 500,000 (Rp 1 billion) for the
\nextension of the Cooperation Project \"Integrated Forest Fire
\nManagement\", for the training of Armed Forces personnel and the
\nsupply of fire fighting equipment.<\/p>\n
It has also offered DM 1 million (Rp 2 billion) for emergency
\nrelief and another DM 10 million (Rp 20 billion) for the
\nestablishment of an integrated forest fire management system in
\nEast Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
However, the Indonesian government was still undecided over
\nwhether to receive the assistance, said the German Embassy's
\npublic and consular affairs officer, Dieter Lamle. (aan)<\/p>",
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