Authorities promise to limit haze

Authorities promise to limit haze

JAKARTA: Authorities in Central Kalimantan have ordered a
crackdown on land clearers ahead of the annual haze generated by
unchecked forest fires, officials said Thursday.

Provincial spokesman Harun Al-Rashid said its offices in
Central Kalimantan had been ordered to make plans to combat the
fires and the police had been told to enforce a ban on setting
fires to clear land.

Rain earlier this month had helped dissipate the haze
generated on Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Sumatra "but we have not
had any significant rain in the past 10 days and that may signal
the arrival of the dry season."

Authorities have issued written and oral warnings against
using fire to clear land. Enforcement patrols would be mounted
and offenders prosecuted.

Meteorology officials in the Sumatran provinces of Riau, Jambi
and South Sumatra said the haze had began to return there.

"The smoke haze can be felt, especially in the evening. It
hurts the eyes and has an acrid burning smell," said one
official.

The haze is largely caused by illegal fires set to clear land
for replanting.

In 1997 and to a lesser degree in 1998, a choking haze from
fires in the country blanketed parts of Southeast Asia for
months, causing serious health problems.

Using fire to clear land has been illegal since 1999 but
prosecutions are rare. --AFP