Forest fires declared a national disaster
JAKARTA (JP): The government declared forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan a national disaster on Wednesday and warned errant logging and plantation firms they could lose their licenses.
State Minister of Environment Sonny Keraf said Cabinet ministers discussed the issue having seen satellite images of between 200 and 300 "hot spots" on the two islands.
"The President asked us to summon the companies. We will take punitive action against them, revoking their licenses if necessary, if there is enough evidence," Sonny said after the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Abdurrahman Wahid.
Sonny said the government would provide state funds to put out the fires and rehabilitate the areas affected. He added the government would cooperate with Malaysia and Singapore in dousing the flames, but had not yet considered foreign loans.
Forest fires in Sumatra's Riau province and in West Kalimantan are causing fears of a repeat of the 1997 disaster when neighboring Singapore and parts of Malaysia were engulfed in thick smoke.
The fires, the most widespread ever, caused Indonesia at least US$220 million in financial losses.
Secretary general of the forestry ministry Suripto said in Riau's capital Pekanbaru that the two neighboring countries had complained about the smog that had reappeared in the oil-rich province over the past week.
The Riau administration has started distributing masks to residents to protect them from the smog arising from the fires.
Deputy head of the Environmental Management Agency in charge of controlling environmental damage, Aca Sugandhi, said at least 515 hot spots had been detected across Riau's regencies of Kampar and Benegkalis over the past week.
Visibility was estimated at around 500 meters, while the pollution index was reportedly at the hazardous level of 313. A normal level is below 50.
"The level of ash particles in the smog has exceed the safe limit and has caused respiratory problems, but the density of the haze has not disrupted air transportation there," Aca told The Jakarta Post.
Aca said his office and local government had put out some fires in the areas, mostly on palm oil plantations, but said the efforts were not enough.
"The areas are prone to fire because burning for land clearing activity goes on. We hope rain will fall to prevent future fires."
Aca added his office was looking for evidence of the alleged role of three Malaysian-joint venture companies operating palm oil plantations in the starting of forest fires.
He said the three firms had been warned against practicing land clearing. "Because of their ignorance, the companies should be brought to justice for damaging the environment."
Meanwhile Singapore Environment Minister Lee Yock Suan on Wednesday expressed concern to his Indonesian counterpart over smoky haze clouding skies in the city-state from fires raging in Indonesia.
"The minister sent a letter this morning," said Lee's press secretary, Khoo Seow Poh, as quoted by AP from Singapore.
Alvin Lim of Singapore's Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, which monitors the fires, said satellite pictures of the eastern side of Riau province, which lies closest to Singapore, show that it is very hazy.
By mid afternoon Wednesday, Singapore's Pollutant Standards Index reading had risen to 65, from 26 in the morning.
A reading of 50 or below is considered "good," while higher than 50 is "moderate" and higher than 100 "unhealthy."
"The situation is better than yesterday, there is better visibility," said Singapore Meteorological Service spokesman Wong Teo Suan. "There was rain in the fire areas, it helped put out some of the fires."
Neighboring Malaysia had no haze problems, said a spokesperson at Malaysia's national Meteorological Service, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
Checks at more than 30 monitoring stations, including those along the west coast that are closest to the fires burning in Sumatra, showed that visibility was "good," or at 10 kilometers or more, the spokesperson said. (01/prb)