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.