Haze could worsen next month: Govt
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Haze from forest fires that delayed several flights in Pontianak on Saturday could worsen in Kalimantan and Sumatra provinces next month due to a lack of rain and continued land clearing, officials here warned on Sunday.
The officials blamed local administrations in Sumatra and Kalimantan for not taking tough measures to prohibit residents from burning forests to clear land for farming.
"Our office cannot do anything but warn local administrations that it is their responsibility to seriously tackle the problem in their own areas," Sudariyono, the deputy minister for ecosystem maintenance at the Office of the State Minister for the Environment, said.
He said several companies could also be held responsible for burning the forest to open up land for plantations, though he refused to identify the companies.
The government has banned slash-and-burn land clearance, but many companies and residents continue to ignore the ban.
Sudariyono said haze caused by forest and bush fires had covered parts of Sumatra island and Central, East and West Kalimantan for the last several days.
"I have received reports that parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, especially Central and East Kalimantan, have been covered by a smoky haze from the forest fires," he told The Jakarta Post.
On Saturday, smoke disrupted at least five flights to and from the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak.
Sudariyono said the haze could be expected to get worse and spread to other islands and neighboring countries because little rain was expected to fall in September, while the burning of forests continued unabated.
"The condition could worsen because people in those areas keep on burning the forest for farming. In addition, there is no indication that the rainfall will start soon," he said.
He said his office had detected numerous new hot spots across Kalimantan and Sumatra, but added that he could not provide details on the fires until Monday.
Last June, haze blanketed Riau, Jambi and nearby areas on Sumatra island, as well as the western part of Kalimantan. The haze also spread to neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia.
The worst incident of haze occurred in 1997, and to a lesser extent in 1998, when choking smoke enveloped large parts of Southeast Asia for months, causing serious health problems and disrupting air and ground traffic.
Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have blamed each other for the haze, which continues to be an annual problem despite joint pledges to address the problem.
Vice President Hamzah Haz has said that Malaysia and Singapore should share part of the blame for the haze from forest fires, accusing both countries of involvement in illegal logging in Indonesia. The two countries have repeatedly denied this.
Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Adenan Satem said on Sunday he believed there was large scale open burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and less open burning in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
"We have banned all open burning on our side and we seek cooperation of the Indonesian authorities to do the same," said Adenan as quoted by Malaysia's Star Daily.
He added that he had written to his counterpart in Indonesia stating Malaysia's concern over the haze.
Contacted separately, the director of the Indonesian National Police's antiterror department, Brig. Gen. Suharto, said his office was searching for suspects in illegal forest burning in Riau and Jambi provinces.
"We have completed dossiers on several suspects in the case, including a plantation company director who is charged with employing slash-and-burn land clearing in Riau, which recently caused widespread smoke," he told the Post.