Companies warned over forest fires
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
The Riau provincial forestry office issued a warning on Tuesday to 40 forestry companies not to set fire to scrub or forest land.
The thick haze in Riau during the dry season is allegedly triggered by the burning of scrub by the companies and local communities.
"The Riau governor has issued the warning to avoid similar incidents to those that happened in previous years," said office head, Syuhada.
The neighboring countries of Singapore and Malaysia have often been affected by the haze from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The thick haze frequently leads to canceled flights on both islands and also in both countries.
The provincial Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda), also warned the companies to prepare for possible forest fires.
The local administration fined a Malaysian company, PT Adei Plantation, US$1.1 million last year for burning forest land and sued five other companies -- PT Sindora Seraya in Rokan Hilir regency, PT Cibaliyung Plantation in Rokan Hilir, Dumai Industrial Zone, PT Tri Bhakti Sarimas in Kuantan Singingi and PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa in Rokan Hilir -- all allegedly involved in the same case.
The provincial administration has set up a special task force to handle forest fires. The team will clarify images on hot spots from satellites owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Bogor, West Java, and the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore next Monday.
"We will reconfirm any hot spots found in those companies' concessions. It's important since the satellite images could be different from the reality," said the Bapedalda head, Ahmad Syah Haroffie.
Both satellites have found hot spots in the concessions of several companies, including those of PT Riau Andalan Pulp in Pelalawan regency and PT Arara Abadi in Siak regency.
The latest data from the ASMC satellite dated May 29 showed that there were 110 hot spots in the province, up from only 35 hot spots previously.
"The number of hot spots based on the satellite images is always fluctuating. They could be old hot spots that have yet to be fully extinguished," said Ahmad.
The head of the province's Natural Resources Conservation Center, Jon Kennedi, said that Riau province has been put on red alert for forest fires and haze starting on June 2 until the next rainy season.
"The reason for declaring a red alert in the province is to avoid the spread of forest fires. The special task force is effective and ready to work," he said.
A total of 16 groups of firemen are ready to extinguish the fires. They are equipped with water canon, fire trucks and supply trucks.
"They must move quickly to extinguish the existing hot spots. Although we have identified the hot spots, we must increase our awareness about possible fires," Jon said.