El Nino may blow RI smoke over Southeast Asia, says expert
El Nino may blow RI smoke over Southeast Asia, says expert
SINGAPORE (AP): If El Nino occurs this year as many meteorologists are predicting, smoke from Indonesian forest fires will blow over Southeast Asia and could mark the return of choking haze in the region, satellite experts said on Friday.
El Nino is a Pacific Ocean climate pattern that can bring drought and bad weather to Southeast Asia and other regions.
"A lot of meteorological experts are saying it's an El Nino year," said Emmanuel Nabet, managing director of Spot Asia, a company that monitors forest fires in Indonesia by satellite.
"All the meteorology forecasts, coupled with the fires, means we are ready to get in the smoke," Nabet said after speaking at a university in Singapore.
Nabet told The Associated Press there were several fires currently burning on the Indonesian island of Sumatra - a bad sign because fires don't usually start until the area's dry season begins in April, he said.
Nabet said the only way to help the situation would be to cut down on using fire as a cheap way to clear land, a common practice in Indonesia.
El Nino occurs every several years, bringing drought to some parts of the world and heavier rainfall to others. The last three occurred in 1982-83, 1993-94 and 1997-98.
In 1997-98, El Nino's warmer sea temperatures and lack of trade winds caused severe drought and in Southeast Asia, worsening the seasonal forest fire problem and blanketing the region in choking haze for several months.
The foul-smelling smoke was blamed for numerous health problems in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, and battered the region's vital tourism industry.
Spot Asia works with the Singapore government to detect fires in Indonesia. Singapore provides satellite pictures to Indonesian authorities, who have passed laws against starting forest fires.
"Indonesian authorities have improved their efforts," said Kwoh Leong Keong, director of the Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing at the National University of Singapore.
Indonesian authorities have been criticized for failing to enforce anti-burning laws. Officials say the country's current economic and political problems make it difficult to deal with the fire problem.
Kwoh, who spoke along with Nabet at the National University of Singapore on Friday, said their organizations were also developing ways to track moving ships with satellites in a bid to fight piracy and illegal fishing in Indonesia and other parts of the world.