Haze covers the country's blue skies again<\/p>\n
With the onset of the dry season, sporadic forest fires,
\nmainly in Kalimantan and Sumatra, have resulted with atmospheric
\nhaze affecting the country and again spreading to neighboring
\ncountries. The Jakarta Post's photographer Arief Suhardiman S.
\nvisited Palembang, South Sumatra from Aug. 11 to Aug. 12 at the
\ninvitation of the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Project.<\/p>\n
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra (JP): Thick haze resulting from
\nspreading forest fires and crop burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan
\nis coming back.<\/p>\n
For Indonesians, haze has become a \"routine\", but for
\nneighboring countries like Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and
\nSingapore, it poses possible health hazards and traffic problems.<\/p>\n
Haze covered much of the region for months in 1997, and to a
\nlesser extent last year. This year, it covers the skies again.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, school students in Riau's provincial
\ncapital of Pekanbaru were told to remain indoors as a precaution
\nagainst possible health hazards, while some motorists had to wear
\nmasks to protect themselves. Students were allowed to return to
\nschool four days later, however, after two days of rains
\nextinguished the fires.<\/p>\n
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
\nAdministration's satellite observation at Palembang's inventory
\nbody of forestry mapping, there were more than 100 hot spots
\nwhich existed in several provinces in Sumatra, including Jambi,
\nRiau and South Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Roderick Bowen and Ivan Anderson from the Forest Fire
\nPrevention and Control Project told the media during a visit
\nthere that the number of spots, which were responsible for the
\nhaze, tended to increase with the decrease of rain in Sumatra.<\/p>\n
In many cases, forest fires are blamed on slash-and burn land-
\nclearing practices performed either by ignorant plantation
\ncompanies or traditional farmers.<\/p>\n
Alongside the road connecting Palembang and Muara Enim, one
\ncan clearly view blackened plots of land or witness farmers
\nbusily clearing land by burning trees and bushes for the upcoming
\nplanting season.<\/p>\n
When questioned about the slash-and-burn method, known in
\nlocal terms as sonor, the farmers defended themselves, saying
\nthat it was their tradition.<\/p>\n
\"We're doing this for the first time... so we didn't cause
\nthe smog,\" said one farmer.<\/p>\n
With his friends, a farmer cleared a plot of land about three
\nhectares in size. \"The two of us will split this,\" he said,
\nadding that they will grow chili.<\/p>\n
Others like Asman and Sayati, a married couple who have been
\npracticing sonor since 1973, said they were not responsible for
\nthe haze that has drifted to other countries.<\/p>\n
\"That's not because of us. It (the haze) comes from Kalimantan
\nand from motorcycles there (in Malaysia).\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/haze-covers-the-countrys-blue-skies-again-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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