Haze clears on Sumatra, critical on Kalimantan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Heavy rain over the weekend on Sumatra island
\ndampened forest fires and reduced the dangerous level of haze
\nthere.<\/p>\n
But fires on Kalimantan island have yet to abate, bringing
\nhaze to alarming levels on Monday.<\/p>\n
Officials in Riau province, one of the worst hit by the haze
\nin past weeks, said continuing downpours since the weekend were
\nbelieved to have helped douse over two-thirds of the 1,064 hot
\nspots in the area.<\/p>\n
"The rain is a blessing, the visibility is now at five
\nkilometers in the afternoon and it is much better than last
\nTuesday, when we had to cancel one flight," the spokesman for the
\nlocal administration, Ruskin Har, told The Jakarta Post by
\ntelephone from the provincial capital of Pekanbaru.<\/p>\n
He said the average pollution index, which had been at 125,
\nhad dropped to 60 on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
An air-quality reading of between 51 and 100 is moderate,
\nwhile over 100 is regarded as unhealthy.<\/p>\n
Ruskin added that at least 30 people had been treated at
\nPekanbaru General Hospital for respiratory disorders.<\/p>\n
According to Ruskin, the local administration was watching out
\nfor concessionaires which burned the forest to clear land.<\/p>\n
He said a joint team comprising the police, forestry
\nofficials, the Attorney General's Office and the local
\nadministration had been loaned a helicopter by the Ministry of
\nCommunications to patrol the area.<\/p>\n
"So far we've caught a big plantation firm which was clearing
\n1,500 hectares of land by burning the forest," said Ruskin,
\nadding that he was certain other violators would be caught.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Antara news agency reported on Monday the
\nauthorities in West Kalimantan were concerned about the effect
\nthe haze would have on the health of local residents.<\/p>\n
According to several reports, air traffic to Pontianak has
\nbeen seriously disrupted by the haze. The reports said flights
\ncould land only after mid-morning, when a sea breeze blew off the
\nhaze.<\/p>\n
Punish<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Singapore urged Indonesia on Monday to punish
\ncompanies responsible for the forest fires which had led to the
\nsmoky haze covering much of the region.<\/p>\n
Minister of the Environment Lee Yock Suan told Singapore's
\nparliament that Indonesia's laws were currently not very clear,
\ndespite Jakarta's attempts to resolve the problem amid fears the
\nhaze would return to the dangerous levels seen in 1997.<\/p>\n
"It is very important for Indonesia to make sure its laws are
\nclear and there are sufficient teeth to take action against the
\nculprits," he was quoted as saying by AFP.<\/p>\n
"Unfortunately, at the moment I think the law is really not
\nwatertight.<\/p>\n
"I think it is very important for Indonesia to show that it
\nhas the political commitment and will to tackle this problem to
\nprevent it from becoming a disaster for the region again," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The comments were made amid rising fears that Indonesia could
\nbe heading for a repeat of 1997 and part of 1998, in which fires
\nin Sumatra and Borneo covered much of the region with a choking
\nhaze.<\/p>\n
Despite a government ban in Indonesia on slash-and-burn land
\nclearing, the practice has continued unabated, including by large
\nplantation firms.<\/p>\n
Lee said Indonesia also needed to clarify the structure of
\nenforcement, "whether it is the environment agency that is
\nresponsible, or the forestry and plantation people who are
\nresponsible or the local provincial officials .... All these
\nthings have to be clarified".<\/p>\n
Lee, however, said Indonesia was trying its best to resolve
\nthe difficult problem and has threatened to prosecute and suspend
\nthe licenses of four companies suspected of causing fires.<\/p>\n
He said he had sought the cooperation of Indonesia to
\nundertake prompt and firm enforcement against plantation
\ncompanies that used fire to clear land.<\/p>\n
The smoke has been blamed mostly on the large-scale burning of
\nforest and shrubs to clear land for the new planting season.<\/p>\n
Lee said Singapore's air quality was not badly affected by the
\nhaze in nearby Sumatra because of prevailing wind directions.
\n(08)<\/p>",
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