Forest fires declared a national disaster<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government declared forest fires in Sumatra
\nand Kalimantan a national disaster on Wednesday and warned errant
\nlogging and plantation firms they could lose their licenses.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Environment Sonny Keraf said Cabinet
\nministers discussed the issue having seen satellite images of
\nbetween 200 and 300 \"hot spots\" on the two islands.<\/p>\n
\"The President asked us to summon the companies. We will take
\npunitive action against them, revoking their licenses if
\nnecessary, if there is enough evidence,\" Sonny said after the
\nCabinet meeting presided over by President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Sonny said the government would provide state funds to put out
\nthe fires and rehabilitate the areas affected. He added the
\ngovernment would cooperate with Malaysia and Singapore in dousing
\nthe flames, but had not yet considered foreign loans.<\/p>\n
Forest fires in Sumatra's Riau province and in West Kalimantan
\nare causing fears of a repeat of the 1997 disaster when
\nneighboring Singapore and parts of Malaysia were engulfed in
\nthick smoke.<\/p>\n
The fires, the most widespread ever, caused Indonesia at least
\nUS$220 million in financial losses.<\/p>\n
Secretary general of the forestry ministry Suripto said in
\nRiau's capital Pekanbaru that the two neighboring countries had
\ncomplained about the smog that had reappeared in the oil-rich
\nprovince over the past week.<\/p>\n
The Riau administration has started distributing masks to
\nresidents to protect them from the smog arising from the fires.<\/p>\n
Deputy head of the Environmental Management Agency in charge
\nof controlling environmental damage, Aca Sugandhi, said at least
\n515 hot spots had been detected across Riau's regencies of Kampar
\nand Benegkalis over the past week.<\/p>\n
Visibility was estimated at around 500 meters, while the
\npollution index was reportedly at the hazardous level of 313. A
\nnormal level is below 50.<\/p>\n
\"The level of ash particles in the smog has exceed the safe
\nlimit and has caused respiratory problems, but the density of the
\nhaze has not disrupted air transportation there,\" Aca told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Aca said his office and local government had put out some
\nfires in the areas, mostly on palm oil plantations, but said the
\nefforts were not enough.<\/p>\n
\"The areas are prone to fire because burning for land clearing
\nactivity goes on. We hope rain will fall to prevent future
\nfires.\"<\/p>\n
Aca added his office was looking for evidence of the alleged
\nrole of three Malaysian-joint venture companies operating palm
\noil plantations in the starting of forest fires.<\/p>\n
He said the three firms had been warned against practicing
\nland clearing. \"Because of their ignorance, the companies should
\nbe brought to justice for damaging the environment.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Singapore Environment Minister Lee Yock Suan on
\nWednesday expressed concern to his Indonesian counterpart over
\nsmoky haze clouding skies in the city-state from fires raging in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The minister sent a letter this morning,\" said Lee's press
\nsecretary, Khoo Seow Poh, as quoted by AP from Singapore.<\/p>\n
Alvin Lim of Singapore's Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing
\nand Processing, which monitors the fires, said satellite pictures
\nof the eastern side of Riau province, which lies closest to
\nSingapore, show that it is very hazy.<\/p>\n
By mid afternoon Wednesday, Singapore's Pollutant Standards
\nIndex reading had risen to 65, from 26 in the morning.<\/p>\n
A reading of 50 or below is considered \"good,\" while higher
\nthan 50 is \"moderate\" and higher than 100 \"unhealthy.\"<\/p>\n
\"The situation is better than yesterday, there is better
\nvisibility,\" said Singapore Meteorological Service spokesman Wong
\nTeo Suan. \"There was rain in the fire areas, it helped put out
\nsome of the fires.\"<\/p>\n
Neighboring Malaysia had no haze problems, said a spokesperson
\nat Malaysia's national Meteorological Service, speaking on
\ncustomary condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Checks at more than 30 monitoring stations, including those
\nalong the west coast that are closest to the fires burning in
\nSumatra, showed that visibility was \"good,\" or at 10 kilometers
\nor more, the spokesperson said. (01\/prb)<\/p>",
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