E. Kalimantan and Jambi affected by haze

Jon Afrizal and Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Jambi/Samarinda

The number of hotspots in East Kalimantan and Jambi provinces has been rising over the past few days, suggesting that the fire problem in these provinces is worsening, with haze already apparent in the both regions.

In Jambi province, fire has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest in six regencies and municipalities over the last couple of days. The number of hotspots rose to 49 on Tuesday from 33 the day before.

Based on images from the North Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, 39 of the 49 hotspots were in Muarojambi regency, three each in Tanjungjabung Barat and Tebo regencies, two each in Sarolangun and Tanjungjabung Timur and one in Batanghari regency.

Joko Fajar, the Forest Fire Management Unit director with the Jambi provincial administration, said that his agency had dispatched personnel to help put out the fires.

However, he admitted that his agency was only able to extinguish the fires in a limited number of locations, as most of fires were in very remote and inaccessible areas.

Due to the forest fires, the city of Jambi, the capital of Jambi province, is once again blanketed by haze.

Visibility is only between 200 meters and 300 meters in the morning, although after 9 a.m, the haze begins to lift.

People were still going about their normal activities as of Tuesday, although some residents were complaining on breathing difficulties.

Similarly, the fire crisis was also worsening in East Kalimantan. The number of hotspots here on Sunday was 54, according to the NOAA, but by Monday the number had risen to 85, spread across 13 regencies in the province, including Kutai Kertanegara, East Kutai, Paser, West Kutai and Nunukan.

East Kalimantan cities have not been affected by haze so far, but haze was visible in mountainous areas in the province and could soon spread to urban areas.

Kusnadie Katam, the Forest Fire Management Unit director with the East Kalimantan provincial administration, blamed slash and burn agriculture as the main reason for the fires.

"This has been practiced by local people for years, and it has become a tradition. It is hard to change this," he said.

Herman, 26, from Batuah district, Kutai Kertanegara regency, said that burning of forest land was the cheapest way of clearing land for farming.

Kusnadie said that the problems of forest fires and haze would likely persist until October, when the first rains were expected to fall in East Kalimantan province.