Drought to exacerbate air pollution

Drought to exacerbate air pollution

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Severe drought, particularly in provinces located south of the
equator, will worsen air quality in the country, a climatologist
says.

The dry season would extend an extra two months to December,
increasing dust particles in the air, Paulus Agus Winarso of the
Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said on Thursday.

Data provided by the Office of the State Minister for the
Environment shows that particle concentrations in Jakarta had
already surpassed the safe level of 150 microgram per cubic meter
per day between June and July this year.

The safe level of particle concentration contained in
Government Regulation No. 41/1999 on national air quality.

Particle concentrations once reached 635 in Senayan, Jakarta,
in June and hit 536.95 in Kemayoran, Jakarta, in July.

Particle concentrations in Jakarta during the two-month period
was higher than in January this year, when levels were mainly
recorded below 150.

The high particle concentrations cause serious respiratory and
eye ailments, and irritation.

Paulus said other cities would also have increasing particle
concentrations due to severe drought, although the concentrations
were still considered safe.

BMG said last Monday that the severe drought, which peaks this
month, would hit the country south of the equator.

The equator dissects Sumatra just north of the town of
Payakumbuh, to Pontianak in Kalimantan and on to a point just
north of Manokwari, Papua. Java and Bali, as well as the Nusa
Tenggara islands, all lie to the south of the equator.

Achmad Zakir of the BMG said this year's drought was more
severe than last year's due to very strong, dry winds from
Australia.

"We have seen hardly any rainfall in the last four months, and
when it has fallen, it has only lasted 10 minutes," he said.

Zakir also said temperature would increase to between 33 and
34 degrees, from 31 to 32 degrees during the normal dry season.

Farmers throughout Java have requested urgent water supplies
as they cannot get water for daily needs, let alone irrigation.

Patients with respiratory problems at Karyadi Hospital in
Semarang have increased 20 percent.

Paulus said the government should not consider cloud seeding
due to the high costs and poor results.

"It is better to spend the money helping the poor get enough
clean water."

He warned people to be cautious about the possible extreme
rainy season after the drought.

"Be aware of floods and landslides at that time," he said.