Drought may last until January, expert warns

Drought may last until January, expert warns

JAKARTA (JP): A German ecologist said yesterday the long-
awaited monsoon rain would come in January, not November as
forecasted by optimistic local experts.

Professor Johann Georg Goldammer of the Freiburg University in
Freiburg, southwest Germany, called for steadfast vigilance over
the worsening drought and forest fires. He said that top on the
agenda of the fight against forest fires and the impact of
drought should be measures that ensure human safety.

"Let's be realistic, we are still facing problems with the
fires," he said yesterday at a press briefing on forest fires
along with several other German forestry experts at the German
Embassy here.

"Despite the reported decrease in the number of hot spots, on
the whole, the fires are not yet under control," said Goldammer,
a scientist at the university's Fire Ecology and Biomass Burning
Research Group.

Yesterday, the government's Environmental Impact Management
Agency announced a slight increase in the number of hot spots, or
fires locations, detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan, from 19
Monday to 23 Tuesday.

Goldammer cited several imminent drought-related problems such
as the uncontrollable spreading of wildfires and water shortage
in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Irian Jaya, which would subsequently
lead to food shortages and famine.

The national Meteorology and Geophysics Agency forecasted last
month that rain would begin to fall in a different time period
next month in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Without specifically referring to the agency's forecast,
Goldammer said forecasting rain for next month was an "optimistic
prediction". He said the rain would only be "light".

An estimated 1.7 million hectares of forest have been razed by
this year's forest fires, causing a health-threatening haze and
an estimated Rp 6.2 trillion (US$1.7 billion) in losses,
according to the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi). The
estimate was much higher than those given by government
officials.

Many airports are still closed because of the smog and about
20 million people in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and neighboring
countries are facing respiratory problems.

Antara reported yesterday that a fresh fire broke out and
consumed some 400 hectares of pine forest in Central Java's
Ponorogo and Pacitan regencies.

Brush fires on Central Java's Mount Telomoyo also reportedly
posed a serious threat to the telecommunications transmission
station on the mountain's peak.

Antara also reported that the forest fires on Mt. Merbabu and
Mt. Andong in the province were still raging.

The Germany Embassy announced yesterday that it had offered up
to DM 100,000 (Rp 201 million) in aid to the Indonesian
government for medical supplies and other humanitarian relief
measures.

It offered an additional DM 500,000 (Rp 1 billion) for the
extension of the Cooperation Project "Integrated Forest Fire
Management", for the training of Armed Forces personnel and the
supply of fire fighting equipment.

It has also offered DM 1 million (Rp 2 billion) for emergency
relief and another DM 10 million (Rp 20 billion) for the
establishment of an integrated forest fire management system in
East Kalimantan.

However, the Indonesian government was still undecided over
whether to receive the assistance, said the German Embassy's
public and consular affairs officer, Dieter Lamle. (aan)