25 years to repair environment

PALANGKA RAYA, C. Kalimantan: It will take 25 years for the environment here to recover from the forest fires, a local environmental official said here Saturday.

Britasi Saloh was quoted by Antara as saying that the damage to the environment was unmeasurable because of the valuable natural resources and rare ecosystem.

It may take the government five years to replant the deforested land, but it would not be that easy to recover the damaged natural potentials, Saloh said.

One negative impact of the forest fires is the loss of vegetation and reduction in water absorption capacity.

"If the land vegetation vanishes, the region will face bigger disasters such as floods," he said.

Other impacts of the fires are high-level air pollution, transport disruption and health problems. (swe)