Sarwono warns of severe grought predicted for 2000<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia should anticipate a severe drought in
\n2000 which is expected to be as intense as this year's, State
\nMinister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sarwono was reported by Antara as saying that data showed that
\nin the past few years, the drought cycle was becoming shorter,
\nfrom every five years to every three years at present.<\/p>\n
\"The drought in 2000 is not something that will certainly
\nhappen ... but this assumption should be trusted,\" Sarwono said
\nat a seminar here commemorating the 34th anniversary of the
\nNational Outer Space and Aviation Agency (LAPAN).<\/p>\n
According to the data, he said, droughts occurred in 1987,
\n1991, 1994, and 1997.<\/p>\n
\"The changes in the cycle are related to climatic change
\ncaused by the increasing level of greenhouse gases from
\nindustrial countries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said he would therefore urge industrial countries at the
\nKyoto Climate Change Summit to be held in December to reduce
\nemissions.<\/p>\n
During the seminar, Sarwono encouraged other related
\ninstitutions to prepare for the expected drought using
\ninformation from research agencies such as LAPAN, the Meteorology
\nand Geophysics Agency, and the Agency for the Assessment and
\nApplication of Technology.<\/p>\n
He called on research agencies to share their information with
\nrelated institutions.<\/p>\n
In the past, he said, different data and information obtained
\nby each institution meant planning efforts were often disjointed
\nand uncoordinated.<\/p>\n
\"The different information prompted a disparate perception of
\nthe problems,\" Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
In the case of forest fires, for instance, local authorities
\npredicted that fires would affect 4,000 hectares while a ministry
\npredicted it was 500 hectares.<\/p>\n
The problem became clear after authorities used remote sensing
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
\"Many believed that the information could be considered useful
\nonly if it was controlled,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"This is why there were those who hampered (dissemination of
\nresults of) maritime meteorology research on grounds that they
\nwere strategic in nature and could not be obtained by outsiders.<\/p>\n
\"After the haze problem, hopefully we can make some
\ncorrections and obstacles toward the dissemination of information
\ncan be eliminated,\" he said.<\/p>\n
This year's drought has caused extensive damage. It not only
\nsparked forest fires that ravaged more than 300,000 hectares of
\nland and forest, causing choking haze to envelop Indonesia and
\nsome neighboring countries, but also frightened away foreign
\ntourists and led to food shortages and disease which killed some
\n500 people.<\/p>\n
The government has not yet announced its estimation of
\nfinancial losses incurred as a result of the drought-related
\nproblems. (swe)<\/p>",
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